We Could Be Heroes
by Saerry Snape
Summary: ABANDONED - TO BE REWRITTEN // After Halloween, Xander finds himself with the knowledge of the assassin Altair Ibn La-Ahad and the decision to either use these new skills to help his friends or not. But not everyone is very happy with that arrangement...
1. The Flying One, Son of None

_I - I can remember, standing by the wall, and the gun shots above our heads. And we kissed, as though nothing could fall, and the shame was on the other side. Oh, we can beat them, forever and ever, then we could be heroes - just for one day._

_David Bowie "Heroes_"

**Title:** We Could Be Heroes(1/?)  
**Rating:** R-ish  
**Fandom:** Buffy the Vampire Slayer  
**Timeline:** Season 2 Halloween onward  
**Pairings: **Most canonwise, Xander/Faith  
**Crossover Material:** Assassin's Creed  
**Spoilers:** General BtVS and AC ending information  
**Summary:** After Halloween, Xander finds himself with the knowledge of the assassin Altair Ibn La-Ahad and the decision to either use these new skills to help his friends or not. But not everyone is very happy with that arrangement...

* * *

It was an extremely well made costume for getting it so cheap. Almost as if it had been taken off the very back of the person it was based from. Some sort of assassin from the Crusades, the shop owner had said, which the design of had been bundled together from several different accounts. 

First there were the underclothes, soft white pants and a long sleeved shirt. Over that was a hooded white robe with an intricate pattern that looped around the shoulders in black thread, over which there was the wide belt with its attacked knife sheaths with a red sash underneath that hung down at the front and back. It took a moment to straighten the strap attached to the belt so it would hold the sheathed faux sword and then the costuming continued. Across the chest came a set of two straps, one which crossed from shoulder to under the left arm across the back with a half open sheath attached with the other going under the right arm and attaching to the strap at the back with a triangular buckle near the right shoulder fastening them together. Now to bend and pull on the brown leather boots and fasten the buckles on them before the last touches. To the right arm, a gauntlet of brown leather that covered the forearm and left the hand free to move. Finally the left glove, leather inlaid with silver ending in a fingerless glove – and this glove had a hidden secret.

Blades slid effortlessly into their proper sheaths then Xander moved to look in the long, scratched mirror as his hands absently flicked the tails of the robe. He blinked a bit at his reflection, which looked much more fearsome than he felt.

Shifting his left ring finger, he closed his hand into a fist and popped the hidden blade. Grinning that it worked so well, he let it slide back then pulled the hood of the robe over his head, shadowing all but his nose and chin.

"Time to go then," he said to his reflection and gave it a nervous thumbs up before he left his room to start the trek over to Buffy's.

* * *

Cordelia ran as fast as she could – which was rather difficult in heels – trying desperately to get away from the demon chasing her. And it was talking about eating her to hurt Buffy for whatever reason. 

Just once seen with those losers and it got her this!

"Guhth!"

The pavement suddenly swooped up at her and she hit hard, palms scraping bloody against it. She then rolled over and screamed as the demon swung its arms, claws ready to tear her apart. Rip into her guts and…

Where was the pain?

Blinking, Cordelia looked up to see the demon toppling backwards, a dagger each buried deep into an eye and its throat. As it hit the ground, she heard soft footsteps behind her and turned to see a cowled figure in white approaching. His head tilted slightly towards her then he bent and retrieved his daggers, wiping the blood off on his red sash.

"You should get inside," he said in a low, strangely accented voice.

Then he was gone, walking off without even offering to help her. He didn't even look back when she started yelling.

The bastard! Whoever he was…

* * *

Willow desperately wished she could be useful. But, no, she was a ghost and was worthless to her friends except to look outside the warehouse at the demons and Spike. 

Worthless!

She glanced outside again and saw the blond vampire some distance away, lighting a cigarette as his minions still strove to get the warehouse doors open. He couldn't even do his own dirty work…

Her attention was suddenly caught by movement above him, something white flashing in the dark.

What…?

As Spike blew out a puff of smoke, he descended suddenly like a diving bird of prey or some sort of avenging angel. She gasped as the figure in white landed hard on Spike's upper back, left arm drawing back as the vampire crumpled. A blade flashed briefly then the arm came down like a striking snake, driving the metal hard into the base of his neck. Definitely a killing blow for a mortal…maybe even to a vampire…

Willow gasped as he stood and drew a short blade from behind his shoulder then moved forward with quiet footsteps. As he reached a patch of light, she finally recognized him.

_Xander._ It was her best friend, as trapped in his costume as the rest of them!

"NO!" she screamed and ran towards him, realizing he aimed to kill the demons – _the kids_. She had to try to stop him!

And just as she expected to run through him she slammed into his chest. Looking up, she found Xander looking down at her in confusion from under the shadowing hood before she disappeared, dragged back to her body.

* * *

"Okay," said Xander as he sat in his room in the afternoon of the day after Halloween, "checklist." 

"One: Those clothes are real cloth and leather.

Two: All the blades are suddenly very real.

Three: I know at _least_ half a dozen languages now.

Four: I know way too many ways to kill someone with hand or blade.

And five: My left ring finger is missing, which is just plain weird."

His eyes darted across the room to where the white robes were carefully folded on top of his dresser, the rest of the outfit lying neatly next to them with the boots sitting on the floor underneath. And all of the abruptly very real blades were lying next to him on the bed where he'd been cleaning them with oil snatched from Giles' weapon store.

"So…now the question is to slay vamps or not?"

He picked up one of the carefully balanced daggers, weighing it in his hand, before he hurled it at the wall. Two inches of blade quivered in the wood and Xander smiled.

"To slay, I say. Though we're going to have to dye the robe gray or something, white just stands out too much.d

Still smiling, he rose to retrieve the dagger from the wall and began to plot how to train himself up to snuff with the skills now in his head. Because he knew how to throw but he didn't have the muscle as evidenced by the sudden strain in his right arm.

But vampires and demons beware when he was through with that!

There was a new player on the scene in Sunnydale.


	2. The Shadowed Hunter

_I - I can remember, standing by the wall, and the gun shots above our heads. And we kissed, as though nothing could fall, and the shame was on the other side. Oh, we can beat them, forever and ever, then we could be heroes - just for one day._

David Bowie "Heroes"

**Title:** We Could Be Heroes(2/?)  
**Rating:** R-ish  
**Fandom:** Buffy the Vampire Slayer  
**Timeline:** Season 2 Halloween onward  
**Pairings: **Most canonwise, Xander/Faith  
**Crossover Material:** Assassin's Creed  
**Spoilers:** General BtVS and AC ending information  
**Summary:** After Halloween, Xander finds himself with the knowledge of the assassin Altair Ibn La-Ahad and the decision to either use these new skills to help his friends or not. But not everyone is very happy with that arrangement...

* * *

"Giles, there's someone out hunting vampires!"

Xander cocked his head to the side at the sound of Buffy's voice as he flipped through one of the books for research and grinned at the Watcher's reply of "That would be you doing that." Either Giles was too tired to be proper British or he was starting to grow on the man.

"No!" he heard Buffy whine. "Its someone else – a guy I think. I couldn't get a good look at him and he just disappeared when I started to chase him!"

He bit the inside of his cheek to avoid grinning at that – his dye work of gray and green over the white of the robe worked well then. In the dark and with the right shadows he could disappear easily, which was exactly the effect he had wanted.

"What do I do?"

"Perhaps we should try talking to this hunter," he heard Giles suggest. "But there's to be no fighting with him if he appears human."

Buffy continued whining after that but Xander tuned her out, debating when to allow this confrontation they wanted. Then he heard "We'll try tonight" from Giles and decided that was good enough. After all, the sooner he dealt with them, the sooner he could keep working.

Because he'd found out of a few underground workings and plots against his friends. Things he had put a permanent stop to once he'd been sure of his new skills. And the things he had done were starting to garner him a name in the vampire and demon communities.

They were afraid now. And that was just how he wanted them.

He didn't really want the gang to know what he was doing. Buffy would insist he stop, Giles would probably stand with her, Oz would just shrug, he still wasn't sure where Cordelia would stand in things or if she even _was_ in things, and Willow…he wasn't sure where his best friend stood anymore. She might side with him. Or she might side with Buffy and say it was too dangerous, even whilst she was starting to practice magic.

Pff, too dangerous.

Xander frowned at that and closed the book, feeling irritable now. That had been arrogant. And he couldn't afford that – arrogance like that was what had gotten Altaïr in trouble and it could get him in just as much. It could get him just as killed as the assassin had gotten members of the Brotherhood.

Rising, he grabbed his backpack and tossed it over his shoulder, smiling at Willow slumped over asleep in her chair. Then he walked towards the library doors and heard Buffy call after him, "Xander?"

"Got a headache suddenly," he called back.

"Oh. Want me to walk you home?"

He paused, briefly wondering what that was about then he remembered. Angelus was back around now.

Turning, he smiled and replied, "I'll be fine. Trust me."

Buffy gave him a bewildered look but didn't say anything as he continued out the door. Though if she had followed, she might have seen him pulling out a throwing dagger that was hidden underneath his shirt and smiling serenely as he walked away, flipping the blade through his fingers idly. As if daring someone to try and stop him.

* * *

"Doesn't look like we're going to find him," sighed Buffy as she brushed vampire dust off the sleeves of her jacket.

"Find who?" queried a voice above her with a strange accent and she gasped, looking up into the tree above her. "GILES!" she yelled, drawing the attention of her Watcher.

The older man came running across the graveyard, as there was a chuckle from the tree. A lean figure in a cowled robe that blended into the shadows dropped to the ground and Buffy saw the glint of metal before he almost disappeared into the darkness of the tree.

"I heard you were looking for me, Slayer," he stated in that strangely accented voice that sounded so familiar but also not at all.

Giles frowned and asked, "How could you know that?"

"I have my ways. And now I've found you – what do you want?"

Buffy stared at him for a moment then demanded, "What are you doing? Are you crazy to be doing this? You could die!"

There was a low chuckle from the shadows as the man seemed to disappear again then Buffy spotted the flash of red – his sash – and found her eyes drawn to what of his face that she could see.

"We all die," stated the man firmly. He then cocked his head to the side asking, "And who are you to tell me what to do?"

Buffy started to open her mouth but Giles beat his Slayer there with, "We are not here to tell you what to do. We simply were worried you might be…"

"A madman?" interrupted the cloaked man. "A simple wild killer destroying all vampires and ghouls be they killers or not? Oh, no, I make sure they are guilty before I take them, I assure you."

He then clasped his hands together, flat of his palms touching, and the Watcher saw a gleam of metal at the underside of his left wrist.

"If that is all, I'll be off."

"Wait!" exclaimed Buffy as he started to disappear into the shadows. She thought he was gone and grumbled to Giles, "We don't even know what to call the crazy maybe madman."

His voice came from the shadows then and she jumped as they heard him say, "Call me Altaïr."

The Slayer blinked then looked at her Watcher asking, "Now what?"

"We leave him be," replied Giles. "I have the distinct impression that he is an ally only so long as we do not cross him."

* * *

From his perch in the tree above them, Xander eavesdropped on Buffy and Giles. At the man's words he found himself nodding in agreement – he was running on his own rules and the assassin's creed now. If they did something he couldn't agree with, he'd have to do something.

He might even go as far as killing if it was bad enough. Altaïr's memories gave him the knowledge that sometimes that really was necessary and he accepted that.

He just hoped he wouldn't be forced to that point.

After a moment or two more of watching them as they continued through the cemetery, he slid off the branch and landed in a slight crouch as the base of the tree. Flipping his hood back up, he fell into the shadows and began to move across town towards Willy's.

With Angelus out and about he needed to scare up some information. And frightening them until they talked was so much fun.

* * *

"The White Knight defending the defenseless maiden," sneered Angelus as he found Xander guarding Buffy's hospital door. "How touching."

"Is it?" queried Xander as he released the hidden blade into his hand from where it was hidden under his coat sleeve. He glanced down the hall and, seeing no one, lashed out at the vampire with the blade. Angelus staggered back with a line of blood across his cheek and stared.

"The hell…"

"I am not the defenseless boy you remember," stated Xander coldly. "Nor am I scared of you."

"You should be," growled the vampire. "I'm going to tear you limb from limb and leave the pieces for precious Buffy to find."

"Try me. Maybe I'll leave your limbs for Spike and Drusilla to find."

The cold matter-of-fact voice made the vampire hesitate and regard Xander closely. He was right – he _had_ changed. There was a tenseness to him now, like a coiled snake ready to strike or a bird ready to dive, swooping up its prey in unforgiving talons. And the look in his eyes…that was the look of someone that had killed and would kill again. Someone separate from the killing, however, who didn't enjoy it like he did. It was simply a task – and that's what scared the vampire.

Angelus frowned then hissed, "I'll teach you to fear me again."

"Fear you?" repeated Xander, wondering absently why he hadn't already killed the vampire. Oh, yes, he was still hoping Buffy would grow a pair and do the deed herself. But he was getting impatient… "When has it ever seemed I feared you? I've hated you since the day I found out you were a vampire."

"I'm better than that coward."

"And yet I'd still rather have him back." The youth flicked his wrist, the hidden blade sliding back into his gauntlet, then growled, "Now leave. Or I'll kill you here and now, Buffy wanting Angel back or not. Because that's the only thing that's stopping me."

Angelus sneered then tossed the flowers he held at Xander's chest before storming off down the corridor. The former Zeppo caught them and shook his head before straightening them and carrying them inside. He carefully placed a choice few alongside others Willow had brought earlier in a vase then threw the rest in the trash.

Looking at his friend's restlessly sleeping form, he sighed and shook his head.

"Can't believe I'm letting that thing kill more people for you," he muttered, dark eyes flickering with self-hatred. "I won't do it again. So you get one last chance, Buff. If you don't stop him, I will."

With that he moved outside again to return to his seat, waiting as a guard until morning.

* * *

Xander watched Buffy board the bus from where he stood leaning against a tree, the line of his jaw clenched tight. He didn't make a move to stop her – leaving was her choice.

But, damnit, he wanted to slap some sense into her.

As the bus pulled away, he shook his head. Thanks to Altaïr he had been preparing himself for the possible future occurrence of him having to kill one his friends. Being on the Hellmouth could do terrible things to people, after all, and any of them might change for the worst.

Buffy, though, she didn't have the assassin's memories like he did.

With her absence he could move more freely but he would have to step up work to make up for the lack of a Slayer. Sighing, he stepped away from the tree and shoved his hands deep in his pockets as he started home.

Harsher training could be done whilst she was gone and maybe he might even get those emancipation papers he'd gotten signed.

Smiling at the thought of being out from under his parents' roof, Xander's steps became somewhat more cheerful and he strode off towards what might be a fitful summer even if it was missing his friend's presence.

But Buffy would be back.

He could feel it in his gut.


	3. A Glimmer of Truth

_I - I can remember, standing by the wall, and the gun shots above our heads. And we kissed, as though nothing could fall, and the shame was on the other side. Oh, we can beat them, forever and ever, then we could be heroes - just for one day._

David Bowie "Heroes"

**Title:** We Could Be Heroes(3/?)  
**Rating:** R-ish  
**Fandom:** Buffy the Vampire Slayer  
**Timeline:** Season 2 Halloween onward  
**Pairings: **Most canonwise, Xander/Faith  
**Crossover Material:** Assassin's Creed  
**Spoilers:** General BtVS and AC ending information  
**Summary:** After Halloween, Xander finds himself with the knowledge of the assassin Altair Ibn La-Ahad and the decision to either use these new skills to help his friends or not. But not everyone is very happy with that arrangement...

* * *

"So," said Faith as she stumbled across the hunter B had told her about, "you're turning into a regular boogeyman for vamps. Even got a nice name.

"I've heard rumors," he said with a casual shrug. The tinge of an accent in his voice made the Slayer shiver – accents were usually sexy. Unless you were Wussley. "What now then, Faith?"

"Know my name, do yah?"

The man spread his hands wide and she followed them, keeping watch for a weapon. She did notice that he was missing his left ring finger, which was weird…

"I try to keep an eye on many things." He tiled his head back then and she saw a hint of a smile as his chin became visible. Clean-cut chin too – looked young. "You are a particularly lovely one to keep an eye on."

Faith smiled at that, saying, "I bet you tell all the girls that."

"Only you."

"So I got my own stalker? Wicked. That mean I can get a peek at your face, mystery man?"

"Sorry," he replied. "No can do." Before she could react, he turned and sprang up onto the nearby dumpster before scaling up the wall of the building it leaned against to its roof. A real Spiderman, he was.

She wondered what a man like that might be like in bed…

"So, Altaïr!" she yelled up at him. "You can't give a girl a real goodbye?"

He turned towards her and she saw that smile again, making her feel a little pang in her lonely heart. She wanted a guy to smile at her like that and be _her_ guy. Just once.

"Until we meet again, Faith," he intoned, bowing slightly. Then he spun away and she heard his footsteps dashing across the rooftop.

As she turned away to heard back to her shitty apartment, she remembered the missing finger. And why it struck a cord in her memory.

Xander was missing the same finger – from working on a car, the story went. And he'd gone on that Halloween she'd heard about as some sort of foreign assassin.

Suddenly the pieces were coming together. She could remember thinking he looked pretty capable with that lean piece of body she'd seen but B claimed he wasn't much of a fighter. And she'd caught a calculating look in his eyes once or twice, only just seeing it before it disappeared under close scrutiny.

Christ, were the rest of them really that blind?

B, yeah, she could believe but the rest she'd taken to be smarter. Then again, he'd fooled her too with his corny jokes and good nature.

Was the hunter really hiding under that cheerful façade?

Faith shook her head and continued to muse on it as she walked to what was currently home. As she flopped into bed not wearing a stitch, she decided she'd have a chat with the brunette when she saw him next. Because as much as she tried to push people away, she got the feeling that he was a sort of kindred spirit.

And he'd never been anything but nice to her since she'd come to town. Which was more than she could say about the others. So maybe she'd give him a chance…just the once, she'd take the risk.

Smiling, she rolled over and buried her head under her pillow to drawing out the noise of the rowdy sex going on next door.

Tomorrow, she decided. Tomorrow she'd catch him at the school and find out the truth.

* * *

Xander was sitting outside eating a sandwich when a shadow fell over him. He looked up into Faith's grinning face and blinked before swallowing the bite of turkey he'd been chewing.

Not that he wasn't happy to see her. Strong women attracted him still – Altaïr's memories hadn't changed that – and Faith was that in spades. But he knew too that she had a sort of soft side hidden under all that steel.

"You're here early," he commented, carefully controlling his voice. Besides when he used it to shield his identity whilst hunting, he'd discovered his voice shifted close to Altaïr's accent when he was surprised or angry.

"Come to see you, Stud," replied Faith with a smirk. She then leaned over so her mouth was by his ear and breathed, "I figured out your secret,_ Altaïr_."

Xander stiffened, assassin instincts telling him to kill to protect his cover but he squashed them. Faith may have done a lot of things but she was still an innocent so far as his opinion went. And, therefore, untouchable according to the creed.

"How'd you find out?" he asked softly.

"Finger gave you away. Big guess too."

He looked down at the missing digit and shook his head. "Surprised you noticed," he commented. "No one else has."

"Smarter than I look, Stud."

"I know."

Faith leaned back at that with a smile that made his heart jump. God, when she looked like that, her whole face lit up. He stared at her then asked, "So what now, Faith? You could tell Buffy and screw me to Hell and back."

"And why would I do that?" she asked. "B'd lock you up and we'd be overrun."

Xander chuckled at that and smiled at her, "So you've got a sense of how much I've done."

"B's bitch listens to everything."

He burst out laughing at that, saying, "That's an excellent description for Deadboy." Then he rose and tore off half his sandwich, offering it to her. "So," he continued, "there anything you want from me, Faith?"

She took the offering after a moment's hesitation and ate it in two bites before she answered. "Let me hunt with you. B abandons me every night to go kiss face with her bitch."

"Are you asking me because you know this now? Or because you really want to?"

"Both," she replied. "I noticed the muscles, Stud. You know how to move and give things the hurt. Just 'cause the rest don't see it ain't got shit on what I see."

He grinned at that, saying, "Good answer. Alright. It'll be nice to have some company – though I might need to give you a few pointers."

"'Bout what?"

"Walking quietly for the most part. Even with superior senses, I can do a damn good job of sneaking up on vamps and demons because I'm quiet."

Faith smiled and said, "Sounds like fun. I'll meet you tonight then, Stud."

"At Willy's," she heard Xander hiss under his breath as she started to move away at Willow's approach. "I've got a few questions for him about some weird rumors I've been catching."

"Gotcha, X. See yah then."

He nodded then heard Willow sneer from behind him as Faith walked away, "Why were you talking to that slut?" He spun to face her at that and the look of fury on his face made her take a step back.

"You know next to nothing about her," hissed Xander furiously. The anger at his oldest friend seethed in his chest and he saw Faith stop out of the corner of his eye, her head cocked towards him. "I don't know what stick got shoved up your ass involving Faith, Wills, but for the love of God, get it out. She hasn't done a damn thing to us but try to help. And what've you all done but treat her like she's a fucking leper."

Willow gaped at him and he saw Faith's smirk as he shook his head. Before his friend could say anything, he lifted his right hand to cut her off.

"Don't bother," he snarled. "I'm too pissed to listen. Besides, I've got stuff to do at home tonight so I can't come for research."

Turning away, he stormed off, trying to discern what had so turned his friends against the brunette Slayer. As he moved past her, he heard her say, "Awful nice of yah, Stud. But you sure you want to defend me?"

Xander paused and turned towards her slowly. The defensive fire in his eyes made Faith's heart jumped and she realized what a mess B and her crew were making. He wanted to help her and be her friend too – bring her into their group.

If B pushed her out and Red kept it up with the insults (which were shit she'd heard a hundred times before but still hurt a little), he'd drop them.

"I defend people I think are worth defending," he stated firmly. "And you're worth it, Faith."

She cocked her head to the side at that, asking, "That you talkin', X, or Altaïr?"

"All me," he replied with a soft smile. "I'll see you tonight, alright?"

"Gotcha."

He nodded then was gone, disappearing into the school as he slipped easily through the crowd of people. Faith smirked and looked towards Willow, who was glaring at her now. The Slayer's smirk widened and she turned away from the redhead, sauntering away off the school grounds and making every male drool after her.

Fuck B and Red.

They didn't deserve a man like X anyway, not with how they treated him.

So fuck 'em.


	4. Talk of the Past

_I - I can remember, standing by the wall, and the gun shots above our heads. And we kissed, as though nothing could fall, and the shame was on the other side. Oh, we can beat them, forever and ever, then we could be heroes - just for one day._

David Bowie "Heroes"

**Title:** We Could Be Heroes(4/?)  
**Rating:** R-ish  
**Fandom:** Buffy the Vampire Slayer  
**Timeline:** Season 2 Halloween onward  
**Pairings: **Most canonwise, Xander/Faith  
**Crossover Material:** Assassin's Creed  
**Spoilers:** General BtVS and AC ending information  
**Summary:** After Halloween, Xander finds himself with the knowledge of the assassin Altair Ibn La-Ahad and the decision to either use these new skills to help his friends or not. But not everyone is very happy with that arrangement...

* * *

"So what it like, X?"

"What's what like?" asked Xander from where he was opening a box in his new apartment – which was a warehouse he'd bought with money taken from vampire nests and the few odd job wages.

The Slayer looked at him from the pile of boxes she was lounging on then replied, "Having some dude's memories in your head. That's gotta be hella weird."

He shrugged at that and pushed the box aside as he saw it was his comic collection.

"It was at first," he answered. "But I've dealt with that. Its not like Altaïr pops up at times – all I have are his memories and skills."

Faith shrugged then asked, "So what was he? And where from?"

Xander opened another box with his pocketknife then replied, "He was an assassin working from their stronghold in the town of Masyaf."

"That don't tell me much, Stud."

"Get up and help me unpack and I'll keep talking."

Faith gave an unladylike grunt at that and piped, "And get my gorgeous hands dirty?"

Xander smirked and jibed, "Gorgeous hands? It's the gorgeous ass that makes men stare."

"Damn right it is," said the Slayer. "So what'cha want me to do?"

"Unpack the boxes you were sitting on."

As she turned to do that, he began talking again.

"Masyaf, for your information, is in the Holy Land. Or was, its probably a ruin or long gone by now. He saw other cities too: Jerusalem, Acre, Damascus, to name a few. And he killed several figures during the Third Crusade, including his own leader and the Grand Master of the Knights Templar."

"Killed his own leader?" repeated Faith, pausing in her unpacking. "What the hell'd he do that for?"

"He was wielding a powerful artifact that had the power to alter what men can see," replied Xander in a bitter voice. "Altaïr defeated him and hid the piece in the hopes no one would be able to use it again."

She frowned then asked, "So this guy was real? Like a real live assassin back in the past?"

Xander nodded slowly as he stacked up cheap pots and pans he'd bought in preparation for getting his own place.

"I looked up all the information I could find on the time," he replied. "Couldn't find anything on Altaïr himself, which isn't surprising, but I did find a lot on other things. The existence of the Hashshashin, the group of assassins he belonged to. And the deaths – or missing status - of the nine people he was sent to assassinate in 1191. Robert de Sablé's death too."

"Who?"

"The Templar."

Faith noticed the slight growl in his voice as he said the name again then asked, "You carrying a grudge for them too, X?"

"S'one thing that's carried over," he replied in a rough voice. "He might not be a presence in my head but I've picked up a few traits of his. I try not to let them cloud things though."

She nodded then lifted up a battered box of VHS tapes. "Star Wars?"

Xander grinned at that, his anger fading away, and he chirped, "Glad I didn't forget those." At her sad look, he asked, "Have you ever seen them?"

"Why'd I want to see something so geeky?" she demanded, her hard cloak folding around her. Then she jumped as Xander wrapped an arm around her shoulders and took the tapes out of her hands, his warm fingers slightly brushing her.

"'Cause its Star Wars," he replied. "It's like the God of sci-fi movies."

Faith frowned at them then shed her defensive cloak again. Around him…she didn't feel she needed it. And she'd heard about the movies but never had had the chance to see them. Di has been going to buy them for her then…

Choking down the memory of her Watcher, she smiled.

"Guess I should take the word of the geek, eh?"

"That's geek assassin to you," chided Xander. He grinned then said, "C'mon, let's put together the TV and VCR by the couch we hauled in earlier. Then we can go grab some food and come back to watch _A New Hope_ before patrol."

"Only one?"

"Save the rest for staying up tonight after patrol."

Faith blinked then asked, "You want to hang with me for that long, X?"

Xander smiled then replied, "Hell, Faith, I was gonna ask you if you wanted to move in with me maybe. 'Cause you don't deserve to be in that shithole of a motel."

She stared at him then straightened up, pulling away from him. "I ain't gonna move in and be your bitch, Stud."

"Like I'd ask you to do that," he chided. Touching her arm gently, he said, "Faith, you deserve better than what you've got. I mean, yeah, I am drooling over the gorgeousness of you but I want to be your friend first. If anything comes out of that…well, I'd be one damn happy man. But first and foremost I just want to be your friend."

"You ain't shittin' me?"

"No way in hell." Xander smiled and asked, "So, what do you say, Faith?"

She frowned at him for a moment then replied, "I say you'd better get your shit together, X. I ain't gonna clean up for you just 'cause I'm a woman."

"You'd hand me my balls if I asked you to do that," he said as he slung his arm around her shoulders again. And was delighted when she leaned into the embrace, even if she did so a little stiffly.

Faith grinned and stated, "Damn right I would! Now where's that TV, Stud? We've got a movie to watch."

* * *

"Faith!" rang out a voice from above her, the thick accent not hiding who it was from her. She knew Xander's voice no matter what now, even when he was hiding it underneath Altaïr's accent.

His shout broke her out of the battle rage and she realized that B had tossed a human at her…and she'd been about to stake him. If X hadn't shouted…

Her knees went weak at the realization then she shoved the man down and went after the last vampire. As B turned towards her, she heard a thump from behind her and saw Xander stalking out of the shadows in his cowled robe with all the wrath of an avenging angel.

"What the hell, Summers?" he growled as he approached. "You toss a mortal towards another Slayer during a fight with vampires? What sort of idiot are you? If I wasn't here, she would have killed him!"

Buffy looked startled then demanded, "What are you doing here? This isn't your problem!"

"You've made it my problem," snarled Xander, anger thickening his accent. He tilted his head towards Faith and she gave him a small smile to tell him she was all right. Shaken up but all right.

"Vampires are my job to kill!"

"My choice," he pointed out fiercely. Then he leaned down and dragged the man up, Faith watching the ripple of his muscles under his robe with an appreciative glance. "Now what sort of idiot are you?" he demanded of the man.

The suit looked like he was about to piss in terror then stammered out something about being the deputy Mayor. Faith blinked and saw Buffy's surprised look as well – she had to imagine the shock on Xander's face, though, since she couldn't see it under the darkness of his hood.

"I see," murmured Xander. He then let the man go and turned to Buffy with, "I'd take him somewhere safe and then get him out of town after you find out just what he knows."

"Right," growled the blonde, angry with him for telling her what to do. She knew what she needed to do! It wasn't like she needed this stranger to tell her what to do!

He nodded then turned away, moving away from them. His boots kicked up the vampire dust scattered in the alley then he said slowly, "I suppose we should work together, Slayers. The Mayor is a major danger to the town."

"How do you know about that?" demanded Buffy.

"I told you some time ago that I have my sources," he replied harshly as Faith realized what would happen. He'd be found out if he actually started working actively with them. And God knew what rats next that would blow up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a poker game to interrupt. I'll see you tomorrow night, Summers, in that library you call a headquarters. We can talk of a possible alliance then."

Before Buffy could say anything else he was gone, blended into the shadows in silent steps and vanished. Faith had to give him credit – he wasn't as fast as a Slayer or as strong, but X knew how to handle himself thanks to Altaïr. And he wasn't shy about using the shit he'd learned from the assassin's memories.

As Buffy cursed, she grabbed the deputy mayor's arm and began to lead him away, expecting the older girl to follow.

She needed to have a talk with him when she got home, though.

* * *

"Working with them's gonna get yah found out, Stud," said Faith bluntly as she entered the warehouse to find him leaning against the counter. He was dressed down to the gray-green robe and pants of his hunting gear and had his boots off, feet bare against the dark kitchen linoleum. "Yah know that, right?"

"I'm aware," replied Xander wearily. "They'll at first insist I'm crazy, then perhaps that I'm possessed, and then finally they'll try to stop me from hunting."

She moved to the refrigerator and pulled out a Coke can, cracking it open. Then she walked over and leaned next to him, her shoulder comfortably resting against his muscled arm.

"Yah ain't gonna let 'em though, right, Stud?"

"Not a chance in hell."

"Good."

Xander turned to look down at her then wrapped an arm around her shoulders before asking, "You're going to stand with me, right?"

"Abandon my only bud?" questioned Faith. "Fuck, X, like I'd do that."

"I didn't think so."

He then sighed and frowned. She caught the downcast look and gave him a light nudge in the ribs – light because she knew despite all he could do that he was still human and Slayer strength could break his bones.

"What's the what? You'd got something itchin' at yah."

For a long moment he just stared at the floor then he turned, his eyes meeting hers. Damn, she knew that haunted look in his dark eyes all too well.

"I keep thinking about that alley," he murmured. "If I hadn't been following you, keeping an eye on you both, you'd have killed him."

Faith sat down her Coke with a little shudder. She'd been trying to ignore the realization of that but now it came crashing down onto her.

"Yeah," she said. "And then I wouldn't be protected by that creed of yours, would I?"

Xander stiffened then he pulled her into a tight hug, surprising her as he buried his face in her hair.

"Christ, Faith," she heard him breath as she wrapped her arms around him. "It'd have been an accident."

"Still would'a been murder," she murmured into his chest. She leaned her face against him, the robes soft underneath her cheek, his chest rising and falling reassuringly. "We both know that."

"Yeah…"

Faith felt a shudder run through him – a realization of how close he'd come to having to go by the rules of the creed when dealing with a friend. No, she amended, with someone he loved.

'Cause she knew what she was starting to feel towards him. And she knew too that so did he 'cause she'd seen him watching her.

"But it didn't 'cause'a yah," she said. "I never said thanks either."

"You don't have to," Xander murmured. He then grumbled, "Damn, its one AM. We should go to sleep."

Faith clutched at him and breathed, "Not yet."

She felt him nod against her head and heard, "Alright. But let's move to the couch, eh?" At her mumbled agreement, they moved out of the open kitchen towards the couch. He settled down first and she slid close to him, her head leaning on his shoulder with his arm wrapped tightly about her waist. As she absently fiddled with the hem of his robes, he picked up the remote and turned on the TV, channel flipping until he settled on Looney Tunes.

"Daffy's better than Bugs," she mumbled sleepily into his chest.

The grunt of disagreement he uttered rumbled through her and she smiled, feeling safer here next to him than anywhere she'd been before. Not long after that the gentle rise and fall of his chest under her cheek lulled her to sleep as Bugs dealt with Elmer Fudd again onscreen.

Xander looked down at Faith as she dozed off and marveled at how innocent she looked when asleep. How small.

After the small amount he'd learned about her past during the time they'd lived together, his protective streak for the young woman had grown. He wanted to make sure she was okay – that nothing like that happened to her again.

He leaned his head against hers after a moment as the realization that he loved her weighed on his heart.

Question was…would they survive what was coming to maybe enjoy that if she felt the same as he did?


	5. Choices of Allegiance

_I - I can remember, standing by the wall, and the gun shots above our heads. And we kissed, as though nothing could fall, and the shame was on the other side. Oh, we can beat them, forever and ever, then we could be heroes - just for one day._

_David Bowie "Heroes_"

**Title:** We Could Be Heroes(5/?)  
**Rating:** R-ish  
**Fandom:** Buffy the Vampire Slayer  
**Timeline:** Season 2 Halloween onward  
**Pairings: **Most canonwise, Xander/Faith  
**Crossover Material:** Assassin's Creed  
**Spoilers:** General BtVS and AC ending information  
**Summary:** After Halloween, Xander finds himself with the knowledge of the assassin Altair Ibn La-Ahad and the decision to either use these new skills to help his friends or not. But not everyone is very happy with that arrangement...

* * *

"You can't keep doing this!" exploded Buffy after Xander pulled his hood back, the realization that he was the hunter Altaïr flooring her. "You're…" 

"What?" snapped the former Zeppo. "Not a Slayer? You let Willow and Oz fight no problem – even Giles. But, damn, I try to get in on things and suddenly we're being picky?"

The blonde stared at him, saying, "That's not it! You're…normal."

"Normal?!" exploded Xander. "I could kill you in about six different ways right now, Buff – all with one freaking hand. You tell me if that's normal."

Her mouth dropped open and he turned to the rest of the room, saying, "Look, you can't stop me from doing this. But don't make the mistake of alienating me because I'll leave in a heartbeat, no matter how it'd hurt. I won't deal with this bullshit of if you're human you can't fight."

"Xander…"

"Oh suck it up, Red!" snapped Faith, pushing herself away from the wall she leaned against. "You too, B! We need all the help we can get."

Willow glared at her then Wesley coughed, drawing attention to himself. He frowned at Xander and asked, "Ah-hem…may I inquire as to just who you think you are, Mister Harris?"

Faith grinned at the ice the Watcher's tone sparked in Xander's gaze. He took a step forward and hissed in response, "I don't _think_ I'm anything, Watcher. I know exactly what I am and what I can do. Your only choice is to decide whether you fight with me or I keep hunting on my own."

He felt a hint of bile in his throat as he thought about the Watcher's Council. After dealing with the Cruciamentum, he wasn't that fond of the group anymore and was ready to take them on if they tried to the same with Faith. Plus his mind was starting to connect things they had done with those from Altaïr's past and give them connections to the Templars. Which was terribly bad news for them if he needed a reason to stand against them.

"Enough!" snapped Giles angrily as Wesley started to open his mouth again. He frowned at Buffy as she started to protest then turned wearily towards Xander. "I understand why you hid this from us, Xander. And we do welcome the help."

"But…"

"Oh, stuff it, B," snapped Faith. She then caught the blonde's fist on her forearm and heard a blade draw, glancing over at Xander to see his hidden blade out, fingers gripped tightly around it. Shaking her head slightly, she shifted and kicked Buffy away before moving closer to her friend, sneering, "Yeah, that's helpful, ain't it? You really can't stand competition, can yah, B?"

Buffy started towards her but found Xander in the way, his dark eyes cold as he tensed with the blade at the ready. She saw it and took a step back in reaction.

"Xan…"

"Don't," he growled. Turning his head towards Giles, he hissed, "Seems like we can't work together after all."

"You can't just leave!" exploded Buffy. "We…"

His gaze snapped back towards her and the fierce fire in his eyes cut her voice off short.

"You have no idea how pissed I am at all of you right now," he growled. "Particularly you for not telling us earlier about where Faith was staying. Christ, Buff, you really _can't_ stand having help unless its Deadboy, can you?"

The blonde glared at him then he opened his hand, hidden blade sliding back into his gauntlet. She blinked as he turned towards Giles, saying, "You disappoint me too, G-man. Just because Buffy's being a selfish bitch doesn't mean you have to go along with her and cast out Faith."

Looking accusingly over the group he continued, "None of you ever wondered where she was staying or how she was getting by. You just accepted that she was here and she could take care of herself. Or that she was a slut."

Willow winced at that and Faith snorted. Yeah, let Red feel guilty for that one.

Giles nodded slowly, looking downcast. "I offer my apologies for that, Faith. They may not mean much of anything…"

"'Pologies always mean somethin', G," she softly replied. She even smiled at him as she added, "'Sides X thinks nice of you still – can't say the same of the rest. That's gives yah points."

The former Watcher smiled at that then looked at Xander, who was still stonily eyeing the others across the room. He silently marveled at the changes in the young man and regretted that he had gone along with Buffy in trying to push him away as well as ignoring Faith. What sort of fool man was he to try and shove away these two children?

"Deputy Finch has insisted the Mayor is attempting an Ascension," he told the young man. As dark eyes slid towards him, he continued, "We do not know much of it yet, only that previous ones have caused entire cities to disappear."

Xander cocked his head to the side at that then said, "We'll ask around and see what we can scare up from the demons."

"That's my job!" exploded Buffy.

He smiled coldly towards her and purred, "I'm scarier than you, Buff." With that he reached and flipped his hood back up, hiding his face under its shadows again. "We'll be in touch, G-man."

"I look forward to it," said Giles warmly. He couldn't abandon this pair again, he'd decided.

Xander nodded then reached for Faith's hand with his right, the Slayer smiling as she took it. Turning to look over his shoulder, he added, "And don't try to get Deadboy to follow us, Buff. He comes within a mile of my place and I'll gut him."

"He will," chirped Faith. "He really doesn't like your bitch, B."

With that they disappeared and Buffy rounded on Giles, screaming, "We can't let them do this!"

"You care to try and stop them?" questioned Giles with an arched eyebrow. "You have a lot to learn about working with people, Buffy." He then turned towards Wesley and jabbed a finger at him as he growled, "Do _not_ contact the Council about this."

* * *

"What is it?" demanded the voice on the other end of the line. Wesley shuddered, glancing around in fear the boy might be there, then turned towards the phone. 

"The Harris boy, " he said quickly. "The memories from his Halloween possession remain and I recognize him. He also has the other Slayer Faith with him."

"How?"

"He still wears the same outfit – the Hashshashin."

There was a stunned paused from the other end of the line then the voice demanded, "Which assassin? Is it the one we need? The one that knows the hiding place of the Piece of Eden?"

"I don't know," replied Wesley. He then heard something behind him and turned as a gauntleted fist crashing into his face in a tooth shattering punch. Blood flew in an arc as he fell and then the same hand picked up the phone.

Xander listened for a moment to the ranting British voice then growled, "You're Council."

"You…you are him."

"Yeah, I'm him. And I suggest you stay out of my business."

"The Slayer with you is our business," stated the voice calmly.

Xander scowled and snapped, "Well after your Watchers and other Slayer abandoned her, I'm making her _my_ business. You don't want to anger me."

There was a derisive snort on the other end of the line then the voice hissed, "The Hashshashin are long gone now – there is little one man can do."

"Really?" said Xander slowly. "Try messing with me or Faith or even Giles, and you'll see how _little_ I can do."

He hung up the phone harshly then lunged down at Wesley, hauling the unconscious Watcher upright. Sneering he hefted the limp body over his shoulder and headed for a crypt he'd cleaned out a few nights ago.

The Council's man had a few things to explain.

And he wasn't at all against torture to get the answers he wanted.


	6. We Make a KABOOM

_I - I can remember, standing by the wall, and the gun shots above our heads. And we kissed, as though nothing could fall, and the shame was on the other side. Oh, we can beat them, forever and ever, then we could be heroes - just for one day._

_David Bowie "Heroes_"

**Title:** We Could Be Heroes(6/?)  
**Rating:** R-ish  
**Fandom:** Buffy the Vampire Slayer  
**Timeline:** Season 2 Halloween onward  
**Pairings: **Most canonwise, Xander/Faith  
**Crossover Material:** Assassin's Creed  
**Spoilers:** General BtVS and AC ending information  
**Summary:** After Halloween, Xander finds himself with the knowledge of the assassin Altair Ibn La-Ahad and the decision to either use these new skills to help his friends or not. But not everyone is very happy with that arrangement...

* * *

Faith blinked a bit as she watched Xander moving amongst the barrels of oil, checking the igniter cord that was shoved through a hole in the top of each and tangled into a mass near the library window. "You sure this'll work?" she asked nervously.

"Pretty positive," he replied. "We can't exactly get access to C4. And I don't know how to put together a modern bomb. You know anything?"

"Molotov's."

Xander smiled over his shoulder at her – that smile that made her heart melt – and said, "I think we need something a bit bigger."

"Yeah…"

He finished checking them then moved towards her, his arms coming around her in a warm embrace. Faith leaned eagerly into the touch and she asked softly, "Who's gonna light it?"

"Only you and Buffy are fast enough to outrun the demon."

"You're hella fast, X."

"Not that fast," he said with a smile. He glanced at the waiting explosive behind them then murmured, "Let's go home. I want to spend my last possible night alive with this gorgeous brunette."

"Anyone I know?" she asked with a smirk.

"Its possible. Do you know this kick-ass lady who wears leather and beats my ass black'n blue when we spar?"

"Might just, Stud."

Xander grinned then said, "Well that's awesome. You gotta introduce me."

Faith elbowed him in the ribs and he laughed before walking towards the door with her under his arm. She slid her arm along his back, feeling the muscles under his shirt, and wondered.

Could she tell him how she felt tonight?

She didn't want to die without telling him.

* * *

Xander was leaning against the wall of the shower when he heard the bathroom door open. A shadowy figure moved from the mist that had fogged up the room from the hot water then it opened the glass shower door.

As Faith dropped the robe she'd been covering herself with, his eyes bulged and he straightened against the wall. A gorgeous woman coming naked to him in the shower? This was like a dream come true.

"Hey, X," she breathed in that husky voice he'd come to love as she pulled the door closed behind her. "There room enough for two in here?"

Xander blinked and stared, quite unable to speak. Altaïr might have had his nights with women but that didn't mean anything to him since he tried to forget those. He was still a virgin, no matter the memories in his head.

"Uhm…uh…"

"Stunned yah to silence, eh?" Faith muttered. "'Magine that." She moved across the space between them then and leaned her body against his as she tugged his head down. As their lips met, Xander moved into action, resting his hands on her slim waist and tugging her hard against him. He was shaking as she pulled away and looked up at him with those sultry dark eyes of hers.

After a moment he murmured her name desperately and she smiled.

"You want this?" she asked softly. "All of it?"

Xander stared down at her, realizing somewhere in the back of his foggy brain that she was asking if he wanted the Slayer as well as the injured young woman underneath. Did she not realize that it was that woman he loved, not the Slayer?

Sliding his hands up her sides then over her shoulders, he left one there then moved the other up to her face, cupping her cheek. As she leaned into the touch, he breathed in a hoarse voice, "Hell yes."

Faith grinned at that then asked, "Well what'cha waitin' for, X? This girl ain't gonna wait forever."

He blinked then stared at her, saying, "I've never done this before, Faith. Altaïr did but…I want it to be all me with you, not him."

The Slayer was shocked at that – his first? A good-looking guy like her man? The girls around here were plain crazies.

That was okay, that left all of him for her.

"Well then," she purred, leaning in close to him, "guess I gotta steer yah round the curves."

"God please," he murmured as he watched her, his dark eyes showing her the lust all men had when they saw her but also love. And that was just what she wanted.

Faith smirked then lost herself in loving her man and teaching him a thing or two about loving her.

* * *

"You're late. And glowing," hissed Buffy as Xander arrived just before the graduation ceremony started, moving to stand near her and Willow.

"Am I?" queried the assassin. "'Magine that."

"Why?"

Xander arched an eyebrow and asked, "You sure you want the answer to that question?"

Buffy stared at him then snapped, "Yes."

"Okay." Leaning forward he hissed in a low voice, "I had the most amazing sex with a woman I love last night. And this morning. 'Bout twenty minutes ago too."

The two girls flushed at his words then Willow asked, "Why are you already wearing your robe?" Obviously she was too dazed to make a comment about him sleeping with Faith.

Xander grinned and shifted the robe aside to show that he was wearing his gray-green hunting clothes and weapons underneath. "Gotta be ready for the fight. You know what to do right, Buffy?"

"Yeah," she replied slowly, shocked that her friend had slept with _Faith_ of all people. He nodded then walked off and she turned to Willow, saying, "I don't know what to do about him anymore, Wills. There's gotta be something we can do to make him stop. Like a spell or something."

"I'll try and find something," offered the budding witch as they began to pull on their graduation robes. Though that factored on them actually surviving the night.

* * *

"The Night Shade!" screamed a demon as it turned and fled. "It's the Night Shade!"

"Well," stated Xander, as he appeared next to Faith, wearing his cowled robe with his short sword gripped tightly in his right hand, "that's a new one for me."

"Impressive," purred the brunette Slayer before she drew the twin short swords he'd given her not too long ago. "Stay alive, lover."

He just grinned at her from underneath his hood then it faded as he plunged into the oncoming vampires and demons that hadn't fled at the sight of him. She went the opposite way into the swarm as him and hoped the rest of the group assigned to help them take out the Mayor's reinforcements wouldn't shoot one of them.

The fight blurred then she spun as something flew past her through the air, resolving into Xander's cloaked form as he came down like a dark bird of prey on top of a vampire. As he drove it to the ground atop its chest his hidden blade snapped out and jabbed deep into the demon's heart, killing it as effectively as a stake. As he rose, he opened his hand to let the blade fall back and then looked towards where the bulk of the Mayor's demon form was slithering into the high school.

"Show time," he murmured in his accented tones then blurred back into motion towards a hulking demon. Faith blew a kiss at his back then launched herself into a roundhouse kick, sending two vampires sprawling.

Oh, yeah, her baby was getting some tonight for that sweet save.

Just as she thought that, a fireball consumed the library and billowed up into a fury that began to consume the rest of the school. She grinned then looked at the vampires, who were now ready to run scared it looked like.

"Yah boys really want to keep dancin'?" she purred, "I'm real willing to oblige."

"Only in a fight of course," came Xander's voice from her right as he joined her and she felt the sense of Buffy's bitch coming up on her left. "I'm afraid I'm not real good at sharing in other dances."

The vampires glanced at each other then her man leaned forward, hissing, "I'd run if I were you." At that they turned and fled, dragging the few demons left along with them, and he smiled. "Am I really that scary?"

"Hell yes, lover," purred Faith as she tugged his hooded face down to kiss him. "Whatcha say we head home and break in that bed a bit more?"

"I love that idea. Let's check to make sure Giles is alright first though."

She nodded and they moved off through the crowd, finally finding Giles sitting on the rubble of a bench with a small cut on his forehead and a sword resting across his knees. The man smiled at their approach and rose, saying, "I am glad to see you both made it through this."

"Buffy?" questioned Xander stonily.

"A few singes but she'll be fine. I did want to ask you, Xander…"

"Wesley."

Giles frowned at the dark tone then said, "Yes, he…"

"He reported me to the Council," growled the young man. "Apparently they have been looking for someone who knows about a few certain objects for some time. And Altaïr just happens to have been the person that hid one of them and knows the general location of the rest."

"Damn, X," breathed Faith. "What're we gonna do?"

"We?" repeated Giles in confusion. Then he blinked and smiled, saying, "Ah. You both…"

"Yeah," replied Xander shortly. "Which also brings me to the point that we might ought to skip town. They know we're here and they might send someone after us. Or after Faith to try and take her to force her into the Cruciamentum."

The former Watcher scowled at that then said, "I suppose that would be for the best. When will you be leaving?"

"Probably tomorrow. And I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell the rest."

"Buffy and Willow would object."

Xander frowned as he tacked on, "And they want to perform a spell on me, try to turn me back into 'one of the girls'. They need to learn the art of tact for one and how not to talk about things within hearing of someone who eavesdrops on every damn conversation."

"One of the girls?" sneered Faith angrily. "My man ain't no girl! They try to do somethin' to yah, X, and I'll rip 'em a new one."

Giles coughed politely and Xander smiled down at her, murmuring, "Much as I'd love to see that, I think we should cut down on the violence. We're both in deep enough shit with them as things are."

She smiled at that and said, "See, that's somethin' I love about yah, X. No matter how much like shit they treat yah, you still wanna do right by 'em."

He smiled tightly at her at that, saying, "We might be having a spat but I still love them both."

Giles blinked a moment at the young man in front of him who had far too big of a heart combined with an assassin's skills and shook his head. "I shall see what I can do about that," he stated. "And I will meet you both in the morning to see you off. Are you planning on driving?"

"I bought a car not too long ago," replied Xander. "So yeah. And actually we'll meet you, G-man, at your place. At…six AM."

"Damn, X, yah seriously mean to get me up that early?"

"Now who said we were going to sleep tonight?" purred the young man.

"One night of sex and I turn you into a mad thing. Damn, I'm good!"

Giles gave a little chuckle at their banter then said, "I will see you both in the morning then. Now I should go and deal with things as the authorities arrive – I will try to deal with the Council as well, Xander."

"Good," he heard the young man say from behind him as they moved off into the night together, "because if they come after me and mine, they're going to end up dead. I can promise you that."

"I believe you," murmured Giles as he turned his head to watch the young couple walk away.

* * *

"So, we really gonna leave ole Sunny D?" questioned Faith as Xander carefully set aside the last of his gear and sat down to pull off his boots.

"I don't see a real reason to stay," he replied. Smiling, he looked up at her and said, "I've got everything I could ever want right here."

"That so?"

"Yeah, that's so."

She smiled and stalked her way over to where he sat on the edge of the bed, loving the way his eyes lit up. Damn, she still had it. And it was all for her man now, who made her feel safe and wanted.

As she moved forward, she reached up to pull her tight tank top over her head and unbuttoned her jeans before she reached him. He sat there stunned for a moment, staring at her, then he rose and tossed the boot in his hand aside towards the other one. His hands, rough from the training he'd put himself through, rested first on her waist and she shivered as he traced them up her sides and around her back.

She rested her hands against his chest, feeling the lean athlete's muscles underneath the soft darkness of his shirt. Then she gave a growl and started to tug it upwards, looking hungrily up at him.

"Everything you want?" she questioned softly.

He leaned down across the inches that divided them in height and kissed her, tongue probing deliciously into her mouth. Shit, he had learned a damn lot in just a short time!

"Everything," he replied in a rough voice. Then his fingers caught at the snap of her bra and he tossed it imperiously aside as he grinned down at her ample chest. "Hello, beauties. Miss me?"

Faith laughed at that and shoved him back onto the bed, grinning as he stared up at her from his suddenly lower position. There was the man she loved, the goof who could make her laugh but could be just as deadly as she could. The man who actually loved her and cared for her as a person, not as a Slayer or some piece of ass.

Damn, she was lucky.

Climbing onto the bed, she reached down and tugged off his shirt, running her hands across the lean muscles again. Then she leaned down and kissed him, feeling his hands slide up across her thighs to caress her ass. They moved up and tugged at her pants then and she heard him growl, "Fucking leather pants."

"Don't diss the pants," she purred as she leaned back and began to wiggle out of them. She loved the way his eyes widened at the sight of her. "Cause yah diss 'em and then I can't do this."

"No dissing the pants," he droned, eyes not tearing away from her as he drank in the sight. "Gotcha."

Faith smiled then tossed the pants aside before she flung herself down at him, feeling his arms fold around her. Then he rolled them over so he was on top and she stared up at him as he leaned above her on one elbow, his hips pressing against hers. She wiggled underneath him then and watched with glee as the movement drove him crazy, his eyes darkening with the emotions it sparked.

After that he tossed his pants away to join the rest of their clothes on the floor and her panties too. Then they lost themselves in each other for hours of bed-breaking sex until Faith woke.

She shifted against the lean body next to her that was lying on his stomach, face pressed into his pillow. Smiling, she ran her fingers across his face, wondering how she'd gotten so lucky. Her, brought up by a whore and always told she was nothing, had managed to get out of that hell in Boston and become something better. Now she had this guy, this wonderful guy that loved her. And was damn good in bed too.

The muscled arm wrapped around her waist tightened and she leaned her face against his damp shoulder as he sleepily pulled her closer.

Yeah, she was damn lucky.


	7. Possibly a Highway to Hell

_I - I can remember, standing by the wall, and the gun shots above our heads. And we kissed, as though nothing could fall, and the shame was on the other side. Oh, we can beat them, forever and ever, then we could be heroes - just for one day._

David Bowie "Heroes"

**Title:** We Could Be Heroes(7/?)  
**Rating:** R-ish  
**Fandom:** Buffy the Vampire Slayer  
**Timeline:** Season 2 Halloween onward  
**Pairings: **Most canonwise, Xander/Faith  
**Crossover Material:** Assassin's Creed  
**Spoilers:** General BtVS and AC ending information  
**Summary:** After Halloween, Xander finds himself with the knowledge of the assassin Altair Ibn La-Ahad and the decision to either use these new skills to help his friends or not. But not everyone is very happy with that arrangement...

* * *

Giles smiled as the car – a '70's two-door hardtop Toyota Celica with a black paintjob – pulled up and Xander stepped out of the driver's seat. As Faith slid out of the rolled down passenger window, he heard the young man say, "Door's stuck," in explanation as he arched an eyebrow.

The youth then surprised the former Watcher by handing him a set of keys that Giles eyed curiously as a card within a plastic cover was attached to them.

"The keys to my apartment," explained Xander, "and directions." At the older man's look, he added, "I'd rather have you keep an eye on it than anyone else. We cleaned out the fridge and took most of our stuff but left the furniture and locked it up tight behind us."

"Why keep it?" asked Giles.

"If yah need us to come back," replied Faith as she leaned against Xander's side, her arm sliding around his waist. "'Cause we ain't stayin' in that shithole of a motel. The manager's a sleaze I'd love to stick my foot up the ass of."

The man winced at the reminder of where the young woman had been staying previously then blinked as Xander handed him a card.

"What's this?"

"Cellphone," replied Xander. "So you can reach us whenever you need to. And we'll come running back if you need us here."

"I know." The former Watcher reached into his coat then and pulled out a thick envelope, holding it out to the youth. Dark eyes stared at it and the six thousand dollars within then lifted up to his face.

"G-man…"

"Consider it payment for all you've done these past three years," said Giles warmly. "I know we have you to thank for a lot of things, son."

Xander blinked then took the envelope slowly, saying, "I feel bad about taking this… Its from your own pocket…"

The man laughed at that. "My own pocket? Son, I told Wesley if he didn't give me that money from the Council's own accounts, I'd give him a beating to rival the one you gave him. And I made sure to go into great detail about it."

Faith grinned at that and said, "Yah ain't so bad, G. And c'mon, X, we need to split."

"That we do," agreed Xander. He then pulled away from her and abruptly enveloped the former Watcher in a hug, which the man gladly returned. "We'll keep in touch," promised the young man as he pulled away.

"See that you do," said Giles as he watched them walk back towards the car. Smiling sadly as they climbed back into the vehicle, he lifted a hand in a wave as Xander revved the car's engine then pulled away. The sight of both of them waving at him as they drove off to Lord knew where made him feel both happy for them and tired.

Sighing, he looked down at the key in his hand and the card with the cell phone number on it.

But they'd come back.

* * *

"So where we going first, X?" asked Faith as she reclined in the passenger seat of the Celica.

"I figured stop off in LA for a few days," he replied as he reached out to fiddle with the knob on the radio he'd updated the car with. It had been the only thing he's replaced in it since buying the car from his uncle other than the fresh paint job and new seat covers. "Sound alright?"

She grinned and stated, "So long as I got my bud, I'll be five by five."

"Returned to bud status already? You wound me, woman!"

Faith stuck out her tongue at him then said, "Shut it, ACDC's on."

Xander laughed at that then cranked up the volume on the radio as they roared through Sunnydale, the lines of _Highway to Hell_ blaring through the car's speakers. He glanced aside at Faith, who was bobbing her feet in time with the beat, her mouth softly singing along to the words. Slowly she got louder then was belting out along with the song in a voice not quite meant for singing.

He loved it anyway though.

"I'm on a hiiighway to Hell! On the highway to Hell! Highway to Hell! I'm on the hiiighway to Heh-ell, yeah!"

With a laugh, Xander asked, "Highway to Hell, is it? That what we're on?"

"Always with me, lover," she replied during a pause then launched right back into the song. As it ended a few seconds later she frowned but then a grin spread across her face as the first notes of _Dirty Deeds_ sounded. "Hell yeah!"

Shaking his head, Xander turned his attention back to the road. Though he couldn't help glancing aside every few minutes at his companion who was so enthusiastically singing.

Yeah, he definitely liked where his life was going now.


	8. A WTF and a Oh Crap, please, Mr Barman

_I - I can remember, standing by the wall, and the gun shots above our heads. And we kissed, as though nothing could fall, and the shame was on the other side. Oh, we can beat them, forever and ever, then we could be heroes - just for one day._

_David Bowie "Heroes_"

**Title:** We Could Be Heroes(8/?)  
**Rating:** R-ish  
**Fandom:** Buffy the Vampire Slayer  
**Timeline:** Season 2 Halloween onward  
**Pairings: **Most canonwise, Xander/Faith  
**Crossover Material:** Assassin's Creed  
**Spoilers:** General BtVS and AC ending information  
**Summary:** After Halloween, Xander finds himself with the knowledge of the assassin Altair Ibn La-Ahad and the decision to either use these new skills to help his friends or not. But not everyone is very happy with that arrangement...

* * *

Faith blinked again at the place they were in; Caritas, the sign outside had claimed. When she'd convinced X to go bar trawling with her, she hadn't expected to end up in a bar of mixed races. She could see demons politely talking with humans they would eat on another day, for God's sake.

"Trippy," commented Xander from next to her. "And sheesh that's a bright suit."

"Eh?" said Faith then she saw him – a green-skinned demon with short red horns wearing a bright red suit with a canary yellow tie was coming towards them. "That's somethin' yah don't see every day."

The demon grinned at them and exclaimed, "Ah, Caritas virgins! It's a delight every time."

"I bet," grumbled Faith. Then she gestured around and asked, "So what's the what, Greenie? Never seen demons and vamps act like friendly neighbors towards humans."

The demon started to respond but Xander spoke first. "It's a neutral territory," he said softly. "A place to talk in peace. I'm guessing there's some magic to keep them all from fighting."

"You got it, sweetcheeks!" exclaimed the demon. "Lorne, by the way – I run this busy booming place."

"Nice. I'm Faith and this is my man Xander. So what's the sitch?" At the demon's confused look, Faith explained, "What d'they all come for? 'Cause I know it ain't just the peace and fucking quiet."

"She's a treat," commented Lorne with a smile at Xander. He then replied, "_I'm_ the sitch, raven. People sing for me and I read them, tell them a little about how life's going to treat them."

Faith's eyes widened at that then she croaked at the horrific noise of a bulky demon in a biker's jacket taking up the stage across the bar and thoroughly butchering _Thunderstruck_. Turning to Xander, she then seemed to shake off the shock and tugged on his arm. "C'mon, X, let's try it."

Xander frowned at that since someone reading him might just give away something about the Piece of Eden Altaïr had hidden. Then he looked down into Faith's dark eyes, which were lit up with a delight he rarely saw, and relented. If singing once for a demon could make his girl look like that, he'd risk anything.

"Okay," he said. "What do we sing though?"

"Just tell the mic whatever song you want and it'll bring up the words, sweetcheeks," piped Lorne. "Anything is open for singing!"

Faith grinned then grabbed him, dragging Xander easily up onto the stage as the demon lumbered off. H blinked when she shoved the mic at him and purred, "You pick, Stud." Xander frowned thoughtfully then said something in a low voice into the mic, grinning as the first strains of _Don't Fear the Reaper_ began to play.

Maybe this wouldn't be too bad after all…

* * *

Lorne smiled from his seat at the bar as he watched the pair on stage. It was obvious they were both crazy about each other and they got into the singing easily, the girl bouncing her hip happily against the boy's.

She sang like a Wookie but she made quite the show to watch – enough that the enthusiasm negated her voice. Half the bar was already drooling over her and rest weren't far behind. Even some of the ladies were giving her glassy-eyed looks.

The demon grimaced then as he started getting the first readings off of them. Hard life's from both of them though she'd had the harder time – it made them perfect for each other.

He paled as he realized she was the Slayer – or _a_ Slayer, he amended, remembering he had heard there were two now – and saw the hardships ahead of her. Mainly they were dealing with a petite blonde with hard eyes and a snarling redheaded witch with eyes flooded with pitch darkness. Not good signs.

And the boy…damn, he'd been worked over good. Lorne caught a few snippets of the life of the assassin the kid carried the memories of as well and sighed. It just wasn't fair to throw all that onto a kid as young as he was.

Pain split the demon's head then and he clutched at it, eyes widening. Muttering to the bartender to bring the pair to him when they were finished, he retreated to his office and poured himself a glass of the strongest drink he had from the mini-bar. Downing it quickly, he shuddered and leaned heavily against the wall.

The poor kid had knowledge of the Pieces of Eden – knowledge almost every group in the world would kill for. They had been sought for centuries since the brief surfacing in the Third Crusade. And the assassin had been the man that had hidden them; the man that had been hunted across the world but never found.

World just wasn't fair.

Lorne looked up as the door opened and the pair came in. Faith took one look at him and bluntly stated, "We're gonna die, ain't we?"

"Faith," admonished Xander, laying a hand on her shoulder. He looked at Lorne over her head and asked, "That bad?"

"Pretty bad, sweetcheeks," replied the demon as he pushed himself away from the wall and moved to collapse behind his desk. "You've both got a lot of enemies. Blonde girl and a redheaded witch'll be the tougher ones for you, raven."

"B and Red," murmured the brunette then Lorne focused on Xander.

"And you, kid – had to be tough dealing with that assassin."

The boy stiffened, muscles tensing for a possible fight, and said, "Altaïr and I aren't that different."

"Not too much so," mumbled Lorne. He then sighed and stated, "You're both going to have hard times because of that. The Pieces of Eden have been sought for centuries – and even more so since that one popped up during the Crusades."

"No one should have those," growled Xander. "They're too dangerous. Altaïr knew that."

"That he did. But he's long gone, sweetcheeks, and no one ever found him to wring the information out of him. Now they've got you."

"Like hell anyone's gonna take my man," snarled Faith. "We'll rip 'em apart, won't we, X?"

"Damn right," came the agreeing snarl.

Lorne nodded, saying, "I believe you. And I wish you both the best of luck but that's all I can tell you."

Xander nodded then leaned forward, dark eyes searching the demon's face. At the glance, Lorne smiled tightly and assured, "I'm not going to tell anyone, sweetcheeks. Neutral, peaceful man I am."

"Thanks, Greenie." Faith then turned her head to the side and asked, "We ready to go then, Xan?"

"Yeah," he replied, eyes still on Lorne. As they turned to walk out the door, he paused and mumbled, "Thanks," before closing it firmly behind him.

Lorne groaned and buried his face in his hands, shaking at the realization that he hadn't told them the worst of what he'd seen.

Faith captured and tortured, her body littered with bloody lacerations.

Xander, his eyes black with rage, sweeping through a building and killing everything in his path.

Faith hefting him over her shoulder as they were surrounded by demons, ready to die protecting him.

Xander kneeling in a puddle of blood and hugging a limp body stabbed through the stomach with a sword as a brunette child cried nearby.

He closed his eyes, willing the images away, and hoped that those two kids wouldn't end up at such a terrible end. They could be a great force for the side of good.

So long as the evil side didn't get their claws in them.

* * *

"Guess we gotta take on B and Red at some point," stated Faith as she slung her bag back into the trunk.

"If we believe him," pointed out Xander.

"Greenie didn't seem like a bad guy. And yah saw his face, X. He was real tripped out by somethin'."

He nodded in agreement, mumbled, "Yeah, but what? I get the feeling he didn't tell us everything he saw."

"Yah really want to know?"

Xander frowned thoughtfully then smiled, shaking his head.

"Nah. Too much insight to the future wouldn't make things as fun."

Faith smiled at that and walked around the car to kiss him, purring, "There's the man I love. Now let's motor, I'm itchin' for some travel."

"As milady commands," he intoned seriously with a low, sweeping bow as she climbed into the car. As Xander flopped into the driver's seat, he cranked the car and pulled away from the curb before asking, "So where to next? Somewhere else in California or we want to go to another state?"

"Don't care," came the reply as she leaned over, her head resting against his shoulder. "You pick."

Xander considered it for a moment then shifted so his arm was wrapped around her shoulders, left hand gripping the steering wheel tightly.

"How about we just drive?" he asked with a smile. "Y'know, let the road take us wherever."

Faith smiled and replied, "Sounds perfect, Stud."

Smiling, he turned his head to kiss her forehead then focused on the road in front of them that could lead them to God knows where. So long as they were together though, they'd be alright.


	9. Score One for the Good Guys

_I - I can remember, standing by the wall, and the gun shots above our heads. And we kissed, as though nothing could fall, and the shame was on the other side. Oh, we can beat them, forever and ever, then we could be heroes - just for one day._

David Bowie "Heroes"

**Title:** We Could Be Heroes(9/?)  
**Rating:** R-ish  
**Fandom:** Buffy the Vampire Slayer  
**Timeline:** Season 2 Halloween onward  
**Pairings: **Most canonwise, Xander/Faith  
**Crossover Material:** Assassin's Creed  
**Spoilers:** General BtVS and AC ending information  
**Summary:** After Halloween, Xander finds himself with the knowledge of the assassin Altair Ibn La-Ahad and the decision to either use these new skills to help his friends or not. But not everyone is very happy with that arrangement...

* * *

"What do you mean they're _gone_?"

"Just that, sir," came the reply from the phone her held tightly to his ear. The man on the other end was the leader of the Council's best wetworks team and sent to capture the whore and the boy. "Both of them have disappeared along with Wesley Wyndham-Price."

Travers ground his teeth then demanded, "Rupert Giles; did you ask him?"

"I threatened him, sir. He laughed in my face and told me to politely bugger off."

"Damn him!"

Travers growled then spat, "Find them. I want that boy! The information in his head is invaluable. And that whore needs to learn her place!"

"Yes, sir," came the response then the other end of the line went dead. Travers ground his teeth again and slammed the phone back down into its cradle. He scowled down at the two files lying open on his desk and cursed venomously.

"Alexander Harris and Faith Lehane," he snarled through bared teeth. "You truly think you can run from the Council?"

Slapping the two folders closed, he picked up the phone again. He might have a team on their trail but that wasn't enough to sway the pair. Not with that streetwise bitch and the boy's assassin memories.

As there was an answer on the other end of the line, he stated, "The information about the boy. Yes. Spread it around – I want every bloody organization on his tail. We'll have him in the end, yes, but I want them to have nowhere to run. Nowhere will be safe for them! And discreetly send a request to the Order of Teraka."

Smashing the phone down again, Travers grinned insanely and laughed.

Let Harris and Lehane run!

Let them think they were safe.

* * *

"You want anything, Stud?"

Xander looked up from pumping gas into the car and replied, "Er…Coke and a bag of Doritos works for me."

As Faith nodded and disappeared into the gas station, he smiled. Their aimless driving in the past month had led them out of California and into Arizona. And after feeling a few twinges in his head, like someone was poking a finger into his skull, he'd made the decision to get as far away from his home state as possible.

Because he knew it was Willow trying to find him – trying to turn him back to being 'normal'.

If they wanted someone normal so bad, they had Cordelia for that. He wasn't putting aside Altaïr's skills. No way in hell.

As the tank was filled and he turned to hang the pump back up, the hairs on the back of his neck rose to attention. Every instinct he had screamed then that he was being watched and he swept his eyes around the area.

The dark truck parked at the edge of the lot gave him weird vibes but it was empty. Scowling, he ducked to get back in the car and heard the whistle of a projectile clearing his head. Leaning back, he glared at the crossbow quarrel that stabbed into the joint of his car door near the roof then followed the line of it back towards the trees.

From behind him he heard the gas station's door open and he whipped his hand out, drawing a throwing dagger from underneath his shirt and struck the next quarrel out of the air.

Faith watched it clatter aside then lunged towards the car, tossing the bag she was holding into the backseat.

"Let's go, X!"

Xander fixed his eyes on the point in the trees where he knew the assassin was and stared for a long moment before he got into the car. He felt a coldness come over him in the moment as he settled into the seat and cranked it. Flicking his eyes to the rearview mirror, he saw a dark figure moving and his lips twitched into a parody of a smile.

Stupid move.

Throwing the car into drive, he floored it away and spun in the parking lot, gravel kicking up into the air. He ignored Faith's voice telling him to just drive the hell away and aimed the car towards that dark figure.

Shoot at him and someone was in for some hurt.

But _no one_ shot at Faith and lived to tell the tale.

The Celica's front bumper clipped the assassin and sent them stumbling with a crack that meant a broken leg. Jerking the car to a stop, Xander kicked the door open and was out and on top of the would-be assassin as they tried to struggle upright. He viciously kicked their remaining leg out from under them and lunged downward, striking two sharp punches at their face and sternum before they would react. Bone and cartilage broke under the two strikes and the assassin moaned in pain as he rifled through their pockets, tossing their weapons aside towards the spot where Faith stood watching.

Once satisfied, he grabbed their collar and jerked them upright, finding the figure to coalesce into a human male with several ugly features that wouldn't have been out of place on a caveman. "Who sent you?" he snarled angrily, his voice dark with Altaïr's accent.

Spittle hit his cheek and he drew his right fist back, drawing blood and cutting his knuckles on teeth as the punch smashed into the man's mouth.

"I can go on all night trying to get this out of you," Xander spat viciously. "And believe me, I know several creative torture methods. Now talk."

"Ain't talkin'," spat the man in a distinctly Southern accent.

Xander scowled and started to move but Faith's voice softly rang out to him, saying, "X, check out his hand. There's a ring or somethin'."

Looking down at the man's left hand, he focused in on the band on his ring finger. He'd taken it in at a glance before, observing the gold ring as a wedding ring. Now that he looked closer he recognized it.

And that recognition sent waves of rage crashing through his chest, his blood screaming suddenly for a kill.

Reaching down, he jerked off the ring, glaring at the symbol for the Order of Teraka. He remembered them well enough from when they'd been sent hunting Buffy – and now they were after him and Faith.

There was only one group that could have done it.

Giles was on their side.

Buffy and Willow wanted him back, not dead.

Which left the Council.

His hatred for them cemented now, echoing Altaïr's for the Templars in every way.

"Terakan," he growled, causing the man to jerk violently. "Did the Watcher's Council send you?"

The man just glared back at him, jaw clenched against answering. Xander didn't need one though. He _knew_.

Leaning close to him, he hissed, "Do you know how the Hashshashin killed their traitors? The ones they didn't give a second chance?"

He gave the man one moment's response and watched with some amount of pleasure as his eyes widened. Right before he pulled out one of the slim throwing daggers and stabbed it harshly between two ribs to dig deep into the heart.

"Like that," he finished as he watched the light in the man's eyes die. Tugging the blade back out, he wiped the blood off on the man's shirt then turned towards Faith, his shoulders tense. In the back of his mind he wondered what she had just thought of that – she'd been with him when killing vampires and demons but this was different.

This was a fellow human for all he was an assassin sent to kill them.

She stared down at the body for a moment then looked at him, her dark eyes not showing him how she felt. After a moment she said softly, "We ought'a get out of here, X. Guy at the station's bound to have seen some of this."

Xander scowled and glanced towards the station, which was still close enough that he could just see inside. And the grizzled old guy running it was indeed on the phone.

Sonovabitch.

Glaring back at the Terakan's body, he shoved the ring into the pocket of his jeans then climbed back into the car. As soon as Faith was seated again, he jerked it into reverse and roared backwards before flooring the Celica into drive so they tore out onto the Arizona highway again. Jaw clenched, he gripped the steering wheel tight and growled, "It doesn't matter that he was human."

"Doesn't it?" demanded Faith.

"He was an assassin!" roared Xander. "One of the Order of Teraka – someone called in a contract on us."

"So that makes him alright to kill?"

"No, it doesn't," he replied, forcing himself to lower his voice. As he turned onto a back road, he continued, "But I don't have any qualms against it."

Faith watched him in silence for a moment, taking in his clenched jaw and his knuckles turning white on the steering wheel.

"Yeah, yah do," she observed softly.

Xander hissed then jerked the car to a stop, shoving the gearshift up to park and pulling up the brake. He slumped against the steering wheel, feeling his hands starting to shake as his grip loosened, and he breathed, "I had to do it. Damnit, Faith, I had to kill him, human or not."

"X…"

"He took a shot at me. At _you_. To kill us. That means it doesn't matter that he was human. He was trying to kill us and would've just kept trying if we'd let him live."

Faith bit her lip, hating to see him like this. Because she could tell right now he was struggling between what he'd thought was right before and what Altaïr's instincts told him to do. What his own assassin instincts told him to do.

Leaning across the space between them, she touched his arm and felt the muscles jump in response. Xander turned his face towards her, one frantic dark eye focused on her face, and she smiled tightly.

"I'm still with yah, lover," she said softly. "But don't you tell me yah don't give a shit. 'Cause I know yah better than that. Assassin's instincts or not, you didn't like that one bit."

He stared at her for a long moment then his shoulders shook, a single ragged sob struggling out of his throat. Turning back to the wheel, he clutched at it and shook his head as he fought himself back under control enough to speak.

"No," he confessed, feeling ill. "No, I didn't." He hadn't liked torturing Wesley either but it had been necessary. Like this had been.

"X, pull over, and…"

"No," he said sternly, pushing himself back upright. "We can't stay around here. For all we know, he told others in the Order where he tracked us to and they could be on our trail. Plus the police. We've got to get out of here before they get us."

Faith frowned at that because she knew he was a time bomb of emotions right now. But she knew that he was right too.

"Okay," she conceded. "You let me drive, though. Yah ain't in the state to right now."

Xander almost started to protest then he conceded, dropping his hands off the wheel. He wasn't in a state to drive. Not right now.

Not after killing a person with his own hands.

As much as he'd thought over the possibility of having to do so and seeing it in Altaïr's memories, the real thing was much different. And part of him was repulsed by the act.

When he was shifted over into the passenger seat, he shoved the seat back as far as it went and slumped heavily into it, hands over his face. He felt Faith's hand brush his arm and he dropped one hand, reaching to grip hers tightly. Her strong fingers closed around his tightly, so assuring.

Letting him know that she was still with him.

Trying to smile, he released her hand and shifted so he was facing the door, eyes focused out the window at the dark sky. One death, he mused, as he felt the car start moving. His first human kill.

How on earth had Altaïr dealt with this?

Sighing, Xander closed his eyes and shuddered.

The man had been an assassin, he told himself. Hired to kill people. Hired to kill the woman he loved. He was bound to die at some point – _meant_ to die.

So why didn't that make him feel any less guilty?


	10. Creed One: Never Harm the Innocent

_I - I can remember, standing by the wall, and the gun shots above our heads. And we kissed, as though nothing could fall, and the shame was on the other side. Oh, we can beat them, forever and ever, then we could be heroes - just for one day._

David Bowie "Heroes"

**Title:** We Could Be Heroes(10/?)  
**Rating:** R-ish  
**Fandom:** Buffy the Vampire Slayer  
**Timeline:** Season 2 Halloween onward  
**Pairings: **Most canonwise, Xander/Faith  
**Crossover Material:** Assassin's Creed  
**Spoilers:** General BtVS and AC ending information  
**Summary:** After Halloween, Xander finds himself with the knowledge of the assassin Altair Ibn La-Ahad and the decision to either use these new skills to help his friends or not. But not everyone is very happy with that arrangement...

* * *

Giles was seated at his desk when the phone rang, interrupting the time he'd finally gotten to take another look at some personal interests of his. Only little over a month since Xander and Faith had left, and it seemed anything exciting happening had followed them out of town so he had the free time now.

Reaching over to pick up the phone, he said, "Hello?"

"G, yah gotta talk to him."

Faith's frantic tones made the near constant worry for the pair of teenagers spark up and he asked, "Are you both alright?"

There was a pause then she replied, "Both safe if that's what yah mean. But…"

"Faith, what has happened?"

Her soft sigh only increased his worry then she poured out the whole sordid story to him of their encounter with the Terakan assassin and Xander's killing of him. He was angered when she mentioned that they both suspected the Council had called them on them and made a note to call Quentin Travers as soon as he got off the phone with them.

That man was going to get an earful and several threats from Ripper if he really was the one behind this.

"Where is Xander, Faith?" asked Giles as she trailed off, the sound of tears evident in her voice.

"Starin' out tha window." He heard the faint sound of her rising and walking somewhere then, "X, its G."

A heavy male sigh and then Xander's voice was on the end of the line saying, "Hey, G-man," in a weary tone even as he heard the young man moving and the sound of a door closing.

"Where are you both?" asked Giles.

"Motel in Arizona – just got here actually. Faith drove all through the night and half the day to get here so she's exhausted."

"What about you, son? She told me what happened."

A distinct silence answered his question and Giles pressed, "Xander, killing someone…"

"Had you ever killed someone?" demanded the youth angrily. "With your own hands? Someone human?"

Giles frowned then calmly stated, "Yes. I was the one that killed our friend when we bloody foolishly summoned Eyghon."

There was a stunned pause on the other end of the line then he heard Xander slump heavily against something. "What'd you do?" he asked. "How'd you accept that you'd done that?"

"I never did really. I told myself that he would have preferred dying to his body being taken from him but that was only to comfort myself. It didn't change much of anything."

Xander sighed and Giles said, "Son, there's nothing I can say that will make this better. But I'm glad to know you're worrying over it."

"Why?"

"If you weren't, you wouldn't be the young man I know. You'd be like that man and every other Terakan like him."

"What does that matter?" asked Xander. "I mean…"

Giles frowned and interrupted him with, "Xander, if I had been in your place I would have done the same thing. Killing in self-defense is allowed."

"I ran the man down with my _car_, Giles. And I just killed him because he shot at Faith. Not because he shot at me. Because he shot at _Faith_."

The depth of love and care the young man had for the brunette Slayer was fully evident then and Giles smiled a little. If she didn't love him just as much, she wouldn't have called him.

"We like to protect the people we love. There's no sin in that, Xander."

"I killed him though! I mean, I…I thought I could be more accepting of it if it ever happened but…I'm not."

"I would be worried if you were more accepting," stated Giles. Sighing, he said, "Son, the Terakans are assassins of the highest order. If they're after you and Faith, defending yourselves is important."

Xander grunted in agreement then asked, "What about…"

"Son," stressed Giles, "its when you _stop_ worrying about the killing that you turn into a monster. When you stop caring and beating yourself bloody like this, that's when those of us that care for you will be afraid for you."

"Yeah…" A note of confidence had entered the young man's voice now and the former Watcher smiled. He then sighed musedly and wondered aloud over the line, "I wonder how Altaïr handled what he did. Even having his memories doesn't tell me that. I can get a sense of everything else but not that one thing for some reason."

"I can't tell you his reasons, son," said Giles. "But I hope you can figure out your own now."

"Think I can," replied Xander. "Thanks, G-man. That…that was what I needed to hear, I think."

The man smiled and intoned, "Don't thank me for that. Thank that young lady who loves you for calling me."

"Yeah. I better go and get some sleep so we can switch out driving later. Figure we need to put as much space between us and that man as we can, just in case he had other Terakans with him."

"They usually work alone even if there are several on one target but that is a wise course of action." Giles then sternly scolded, "And don't you wait so bloody long to call me again. I worry."

Xander chuckled and assured, "I will, G-man. Thanks again."

"You are very welcome, son. Anytime you need me."

"'Preciate it. Bye."

"Goodbye."

Giles hung up the phone and glared at the air for a moment before he lifted it again, violently stabbing in a number.

"Hello, Mary – yes, its Rupert. If you'd be a dear and transfer me to Quentin, I would be most thankful. Yes, I'm aware I am no longer a Watcher but I suspect the man has done some terrible things against two children I care a great deal for. Ah, thank you, m'dear, I owe you dinner the next time I happen to be in London."

Leaning back in his chair as he waited, the man smiled Ripperishly as the phone was picked up.

"Ah, hello, Quentin. No, no, don't hang up. I have a few matters involving two young people to discuss with you…"

* * *

Xander slowly made his way back to their room, mulling over Giles' words in his mind as he went. Locking the door behind him in the dark room, he sat the cell phone down on top of the TV as he passed it. Shoving off his shoes and tugging his shirt over his head he then climbed into bed and leaned gratefully into the warm body already there.

"Thank you," he murmured into the back of Faith's neck as he wrapped his arm around her.

She shifted, turning over to face him, and he saw the outline of her face in the dark. Her hand gently touched his face and she breathed, "What else could I for my man? You were hurting so much…"

"Still am," he confessed. "Giles…he pointed out a few things though. Things I guess I needed to hear from someone older, someone I still look up to."

"Yah don't look up to me?" she asked. "I'm hurt."

Smiling, Xander tugged her close, enjoying the feel of her body pressed against his. It felt like she belonged here, next to him.

"Can you look up to someone you adore?" he asked. Shaking his head, he breathed, "God, I almost can't believe you're still here. After what happened with Finch…"

"You told me about that creed, yah know. '_Stay your blade from the flesh of the innocent_.' And he wasn't innocent, X."

"Doesn't change the matter that he was human."

"No," agreed Faith. "But you wouldn't be this kick ass geek assassin that I love if yah didn't regret killing him."

Xander smiled at that, asking, "What'd I do to deserve such a smart lady being with me?"

"Being such a damn good guy," she replied, kissing him gently before snuggling into his chest. His arms wrapped tightly around her and she felt him shudder once before he finally really relaxed.

"I love you," he murmured softly in the darkness of the room.

Faith smiled and kissed his bare chest before she breathed the same words back to him. Then she lay awake in his arms, waiting until he finally dozed off before she went to sleep herself, content that things would be okay now.

Her man would be okay.


	11. Huntin' for a Little Anonymity

_I - I can remember, standing by the wall, and the gun shots above our heads. And we kissed, as though nothing could fall, and the shame was on the other side. Oh, we can beat them, forever and ever, then we could be heroes - just for one day._

_David Bowie "Heroes_"

**Title:** We Could Be Heroes(11/?)  
**Rating:** R-ish  
**Fandom:** Buffy the Vampire Slayer  
**Timeline:** Season 2 Halloween onward  
**Pairings: **Most canonwise, Xander/Faith  
**Crossover Material:** Assassin's Creed  
**Spoilers:** General BtVS and AC ending information  
**Summary:** After Halloween, Xander finds himself with the knowledge of the assassin Altair Ibn La-Ahad and the decision to either use these new skills to help his friends or not. But not everyone is very happy with that arrangement...

* * *

"Where yah goin', Stud?" questioned Faith form where she lounged across their motel bed as he bustled around the room. They had been in Houston, Texas, for a few days now after constant on the road driving from Arizona and all the way across New Mexico. Had helped a little witch named Tara out too and cautioned her against going to Sunnydale like she had been planning. Xander had given her a portion of the money from the Council to get away from her family and their cell number – just in case she ever needed a friend. 

Faith almost wished they'd had the room to bring her along with them. She'd liked the older girl, even if she was shy.

Tossing something into the canvas backpack he held in one hand, Xander zipped it up then replied, "Going to go buy a gun actually."

"A gun?" repeated Faith. "But…"

"Throwing daggers can only go so far," he pointed out in a bitter tone, referring to the second Terakan they'd encountered after their run in with Tara. The second assassin had been a half demon with a pair of Uzi's and it had only been a lucky throw from Xander that caught him in the throat whilst he'd been distracted by Faith. They'd been lucky to get away from that fight alive and she could see the idea in getting a gun but she wasn't that fond of the idea. And she knew he'd mentioned getting a gun to make hunting easier a few times before but he'd never gone through with it.

"If I can," he added, "I'm going to get both of us fake ID's too."

She blinked at that then asked, "Why?"

"They can still track us by name even if we don't have a credit card or anything. Hell, we might need to get a new phone too."

"Shit, X. You need me to come with yah?"

He smiled as he moved forward and leaned down to kiss her softly before saying, "I'm going to be slipping into a few nasty places, probably. And I move faster on my own."

She pouted a little but knew he was right. He'd managed to teach her a little about moving silently but she wasn't anywhere near his level at it. Plus she drew too much attention with her looks and where he was heading that would start a fight. It rankled but she understood.

"Five by five. But don't yah come back hurt any," she scolded.

Xander laughed and promised, "I'll do my best," before he kissed her again, one hand brushing along her bare thigh before he darted towards the door. As it closed behind him, Faith shouted, "Tease!" then collapsed back into bed, wondering what to do whilst he was gone. They didn't have much since they were trying to keep from being found so the cell phone was really the only thing besides the TV.

Grumbling, she shoved the pillows into a pile and slumped against them after she found the remote half underneath the bed. Flicking on the mind-sucking box she started channel surfing and finally settled on a channel showing _Die Hard_.

"Good enough," she grunted and laid back to wait until either X got back or she got too restless to lay in the room.

* * *

The weight of the Glock and the two boxes of ammo he'd paid for with it weighed heavily in the bag over Xander's shoulder but he wasn't focusing on that. He was waiting in a bar now after leaving the out of the way place where he'd bought the gun. A few people he'd talked to had pointed him to a man called Shawn Rey as the man to get him two decent fake ID's and one had promised to put together a meeting with him in an hour. 

Two had passed now and his temper was shearing short, enough that he was ready to go back to Faith and search again tomorrow before they left.

As he lifted his glass of water – it was stupid to imbibe alcohol when you were being hunted, after all – he noted that he was being watched out of the corner of his eye. And badly too. Someone had been watching too many spy movies or reading too many bad detective novels it looked like.

Smiling to himself in his head, he spared a glance around the bar and saw a similar man with the same bad spying skills. Obviously not Council or Terakans which meant the guy who was going to introduce him to Rey had set him up. Probably had figured they could mob him and demand his money – since it took a good chunk of cash to get decent fake ID's.

Shaking his head, he left the glass on the counter and rose from his seat, heading towards the door. He saw the two would-be spies rising as well and as he passed the red-haired man that guarded the door, he heard him say in a low voice, "You're being followed."

"I'm aware," stated Xander coolly then he moved to the side as the first of the would-be spies darted through the door. Grabbing him by the collar of his shirt, he flung him aside and down towards the sidewalk. A glance towards the bouncer revealed him to have a hold on the other one and shoving him out into the empty street via a heavy boot.

"Piss off," growled the bouncer, who looked young but had a gravely voice evident of several years of drinking and smoking. "And tell Edgar to stop being a damn idiot and trying to hustle money."

As the two picked themselves off and hurried off, the man extended his hand. "Shawn Rey, by the way," he stated firmly.

"How'd you know I was looking for you?" asked Xander warily, flicking his eyes over the man's face. He looked to be in his early twenties but the long scar that ran from under his right eye to his chin said he'd seen his share of fights. The roughness of his voice also spoke of a hard life – you usually didn't drink enough in such a short time to get that sort of voice so early unless you had something you wanted to forget.

"One of the others pointed you out to me," replied the redhead. "So, fake ID's, eh? In trouble with the law?"

"Something like that."

"Alright, alright, no questions, I get it." Rey frowned thoughtfully, tapping his fingertips against the scraggly growth on his chin, then asked, "How decent do you want them and when?"

Xander frowned then replied, "Decent enough to pass some close inspection. And by tomorrow would be great."

Hazel eyes widened and them man stated, "Tomorrow, eh? Alright, two hundred fifty for each. You give me the info and pictures and I'll meet you here tomorrow night – I'll be inside as it's my day off. Give me the pay tomorrow too – only satisfied customers have to pay, that's the maker's motto."

"You come to work on your day off?" queried Xander.

"I've been kicked out of all the other places," explained Rey with a casual shrug. "So…stuff?"

For a moment Xander considered walking away then flipped the backpack off his shoulder, digging into it for the two pictures he'd folded together inside a sheet of paper and handed them to the man. "Info for both are on the paper," he stated shortly then turned to leave.

"Hey!" barked Rey after him. "How about a name, stranger?"

"Look at the paper," called Xander over his shoulder as he headed on. He'd had enough of being out for the night and wanted to get back to the motel for a shower. As well as a bedful of the brunette Slayer that he loved.

Rey frowned then unfolded the paper, seeing two neat outlines of information on them. He caught the small photos in his hand then peered close at the names.

"Alex Williams," he murmured to himself. Then he opened the door and yelled into the bar, "Hey, Cob, I'm taking off early!" before he struck off down the street in the opposite direction towards his apartment.

He had work to do.

* * *

Faith was just washing the vampire dust from the group she'd found earlier off her hands in the bathroom when she heard the door open. Grinning, she turned without turning off the water or wiping off her hands and ran to hug him. 

"Cold hands!" exclaimed Xander.

"Aw, is the big scawy assassin scared of chilly hands?" laughed Faith. She then pulled away from him and went to grab a towel, drying her hands off as she raked her eyes up and down over him. "'Kay, I don't have to hurt you since yah came back in one piece. So, how'd it go, X?"

He smiled and slung the backpack carefully to the floor, replying, "Perfect. We can pick up the ID's tomorrow then head out of town. I was thinking maybe a trip to New Orleans."

Faith laughed at that and moved back to wrap her arms around him again.

"So I can't wander around with yah in the bad parts of this town but I can in Mardi Gras town?"

"I never said I made sense," he piped with a grin.

"Wouldn't be as fun if yah made sense Stud." Smirking, she looked over her shoulder at the bed then purred, "That bed's looking aaaawful lonely, baby."

"Is it now?"

"Oh yeah."

"Well," said Xander, drawing her closer to him, "we've got to remedy that, don't we?"

"Yah damn right we do."

Grinning, he lifted her up into his arms and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he moved across the room to the bed. As they settled on it, still entwined, he softly said, "I am one lucky guy."

Faith smiled at that – even though she was the luckier person of the two of them – and growled, "Yeah, yah are." Then she pulled her shirt over her head and smiled at him. "Now come down here and help a girl out of her clothes, will yah?"

"As you wish, milady."

* * *

"Look good?" asked Rey as he handed the two driver's licenses over to the kid after they moved outside the bar. He felt a bit guilty about not demanding a better explanation for why the kid and that gorgeous brunette slumped against the hood of their car were running but he got the feeling he wouldn't get an answer. 

Hence why he'd asked a few friends to come take a look at them and see if they could figure it out.

Xander smiled and replied, "Better than the original, these eyes say." He then reached into his coat and pulled out a rolled up wad of bills to hand to the redhead. "Five hundred. Thanks for the work."

"So long as the customer's satisfied, I'm good," said Rey as he took the money, forcing himself not to count the bills. Or to run back into the bar for a drink – as one of his roommates had reminded him this morning, it was his turn to do the grocery shopping. Plus he'd already spent a good chunk of his own money on alcohol whilst waiting for the kid. "Though I guess I won't have the pleasure of doing business with you again, eh, Alex?"

"'Fraid not," replied Xander with a smile as he started to turn away. "We've got places to be."

Rey smiled as he watched the pair climb into their car and drive away, shaking his head. Then he cocked his head towards the corner of the bar as they disappeared into the distance and asked loudly, "So…opinions, Athan?"

A man over two decades the redhead's senior and just slightly taller appeared from around the side of the building, his right eye covered by an eye patch. He stared after the vehicle for a moment then stated, "Definitely interesting, you were right about that. But it's not just the kid who's a fighter – the girl too."

"Seriously?"

Athan grinned, asking, "You doubt this eye?"

"No, sir."

The man laughed then sobered, staring at the spot where the car had disappeared again. Shaking his head, he stated, "I get the feeling those are two kids running from something big. There was a strange presence from the girl."

Rey arched his eyebrows at that. "Tattoo reacted to a little girl like that?"

"Little isn't quite how I'd describe that one," said Athan with a dry chuckle. He then reached up and touched the mark tattooed across his left cheek – a horizontal slash with four lines curving and twisting down underneath it – and frowned. "It was almost a reaction like a lesser demon's."

"Guess that means we're going to get Dev to tracking them."

"Yes, Shawn, I think we are. Not because of the girl though."

Rey gave the man a surprised look at that. Then he shrugged and dug out of a cigarette, glancing around before he lit it with a tiny flame that appeared when he snapped his fingers. Waving the flame away, he took a long drag on the cigarette then asked, "So why?"

Athan smiled coldly and replied, "Two kids who are obvious fighters and the girl gives off vaguely demonic vibes? Kid, that ain't going to be the regular sort of people after them."

"And you get the feeling they're good guys."

"Good with a tinge of dark," replied Athan. He grinned at the younger man as he added, "Just like us."

"Goody. Just what I wanted, another me."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Athan and Shawn Rey are two original characters of mine. Since originals are easier to draw from than picking movie/book characters, I decided to go that route.


	12. There Wolf, There Castle!

_I - I can remember, standing by the wall, and the gun shots above our heads. And we kissed, as though nothing could fall, and the shame was on the other side. Oh, we can beat them, forever and ever, then we could be heroes - just for one day._

_David Bowie "Heroes_"

**Title:** We Could Be Heroes(12/?)  
**Rating:** R-ish  
**Fandom:** Buffy the Vampire Slayer  
**Timeline:** Season 2 Halloween onward  
**Pairings: **Most canonwise, Xander/Faith  
**Crossover Material:** Assassin's Creed  
**Spoilers:** General BtVS and AC ending information  
**Summary:** After Halloween, Xander finds himself with the knowledge of the assassin Altair Ibn La-Ahad and the decision to either use these new skills to help his friends or not. But not everyone is very happy with that arrangement...

* * *

"Can't have one nice, peaceful time in a town, can we?" grumbled Faith under her breath as she gripped the hilts of her two short swords. She was seemingly walking alone down Bourbon Street, which was strangely dark even at four in the morning. There was a good reason for that too – something had scared anyone still out away and had broken any lights. 

It had left a few of the ones that hadn't gotten away quick enough dead on the ground, as well.

There was a low chuckle from near her and Xander coalesced out of the shadows, falling into step beside her.

"Afraid a lack of peace might be our lot in life," he said softly, his voice already fallen into Altaïr's accent. Any humor faded then as he caught sight of one of the mangled bodies. "I'm thinking werewolf."

"Right with yah, X," agreed Faith. "Dunno if we're capable of handling that, though."

Xander shook his head and replied, "We're not." He then wrapped his arm around her waist, tugging them both back into the shadows. "They, however," he stated as he stretched out an arm, "are."

She followed where he was pointing to and saw a rough looking trio coming down the street – all of them armed for bear.

"Werewolf teeth around their necks," breathed Xander in her ear. "And tranquilizer guns."

"Capture and kill," she murmured, spotting the heavy kukri one had at his belt. Turning her head, she asked, "How'd yah know?"

He jerked his head back in the direction he had come from. "Saw them whilst I was coming back from you from investigating that crash earlier. They're prepared for a wolf."

"So…"

"So, we let them down it. And then we make sure they don't kill it."

Faith frowned then asked quietly, "What if whoever this person was did this on purpose?"

Hazel eyes hardened to ice and Xander growled in response, "Then we kill them. After politely asking them to reconsider that stance."

The Slayer nodded at that, accepting – werewolves were bad enough when they were like Oz. One that deliberately let himself (or herself) loose to kill people was something else entirely. Something dangerous as hell to let loose.

She was just glad her man had recovered from the death of the Terakan in Arizona. They'd talked about that a lot since that night and a rough acceptance of having to sometimes kill humans had come together between them. Neither of them liked it but, as Xander had pointed out with a dark frown, sometimes there was no other choice of action.

"What about that group?" asked Faith, nodding towards the trio as they moved past their hiding spot and on down the street.

Xander stiffened next to her and grumbled, "I'm unsure. If they only kill werewolves that get out of control, I'd say they're alright. But from the looks of those necklaces…they're just poachers."

"So not innocent."

"Not in the least."

Faith frowned then he eased them out into the street again, saying, "I'll take the trio. You get the werewolf."

She frowned, eyebrows furrowed, and asked, "You sure, X?"

"I can handle three humans," he stated with a smile. Then he sobered and added, "Besides, I'm probably the better choice for it."

A true enough statement if there was any.

But…

"I'll take one," she stated firmly.

"Faith…"

"Gotta start somehow, X," she said. "Besides, three at one time even with them all human'll be tough on yah."

He looked at her for a moment, jaw clenched, then nodded sharply. "Okay," he said. "Let's go."

Faith squeezed his arm tightly then they broke away from each other, him sprinting across the street into the shadows there. Slowly they moved towards the rough trio, who were standing in the middle of an intersection and looking around.

"Where's the damn thing?" one growled.

"S'here somewhere," snarled another in response as he lifted his gun. "Have some fuckin' patience."

"I want my damn money," snarled the first man.

"And you'll get it just have some…"

There was a growl from above them then the wolf was amongst them with a snarl, tearing open the chest of one of the men with its claws. As he went down screaming the other two darted out of the way and the man with the gun already raised fired. The tranquilizer dart hit the werewolf's flank, feathering it red, and the beast turned towards him with a snarl of fury.

Another dart from the other hunter's gun caught it in the throat and it stumbled, surprise in its bloodthirsty eyes. Growling in confusion, it tried to stagger away but didn't make it far before it slumped to the ground, unconscious.

"Gotcha beastie," growled the man who'd shot first, drawing the kukri from his belt. He tested the edge with a smile then moved forward, purring, "Now let's have that head…"

Faith blurred into motion then, sprinting forward and jumping up towards one of the poles that held up a porch over the sidewalk. Her boot caught in the gilding at the bottom of it and she launched herself into the air from that as well as pushing herself away from the pole with one hand. As the man turned in surprise, she caught him with both feet in the chest and sent him sprawling as she tucked her body and landed in a crouch.

Quickly pulling herself up, she reached for her swords and glanced over at the other man in time to see Xander appear behind him as he tried to ready his gun again. The slightly pudgy man didn't even know what hit him when a strong arm jerked around his throat and a blade was shoved in from the side, severing his arteries. As the body hit the ground, Xander faded back into the shadows but Faith knew he was moving around where he could get a shot at the other man.

She shook her head, hoping he'd listen and let her handle this, then focused on the rising man.

She could do this.

This fucker was a hunter who killed indiscriminately, no matter whether a werewolf was a good person or a bad one. All he cared about was the money.

"Bitch," snarled the man in a wheezing voice as he struggled upright despite several cracked ribs. He gripped his kukri tight and spat, "I'll teach you a lesson you won't fucking forget!"

Faith's resolve hardened then and she gripped her blades tight. This guy wasn't any better than some of the bastards her mother had taken to bed. She could remember those exact words being said to her years ago too…

He stumbled towards her, lunging clumsily, but she wasn't there anymore. She moved around him in a blur and kicked his leg out from under him with a strike to the back of the knee, cartilage and bone snapping under the force. As he crumpled he turned and tried to swipe at her again, his face a mask of rage.

This time she smacked the blade out of his hand with a hard blow from one of her swords. He snarled a curse and she snapped out one leg, the heel of her combat boot catching him hard in the jaw. His head snapped back and to the side hard then he collapsed, eyes going glassy within an instant.

As she stood, breathing harder than she should have, Xander moved forward and crouched down next to the man. After checking for a pulse in his throat, he rose and quietly asked her, "Old memories?"

"One of Ma's johns said that same thing to me once. Actually tried to 'teach me' a lesson too," Faith hissed, her eyes not wavering from the body. From the man she'd just killed. "After I got Called, I said nobody was gonna do that to me again."

He moved in front of her, blocking her view of the body, and stated firmly, "And no one _ever_ will." Gently, he moved her hands, putting her swords away, then stated, "We've got a werewolf to move before the police come. You sure you're up to it?"

"Yah," said Faith, nodding sharply, "I'm…I'm okay, Stud."

Xander smiled slightly at that, even though he knew they'd end up talking about it later, then they moved towards the unconscious werewolf. With little effort, Faith lifted it up onto her shoulder and they moved off into the night, leaving the three bodies behind them.

* * *

"Huh, it's a guy," was the first thing Edgar heard when he came too. "And _damn_ lookit that…" 

Something was thrown over him, covering him, and he heard a male voice scold the female, "F- Di, you'll make me jealous."

There was a rich, husky laugh at that then the woman stated, "Oh, that's the point, X. I get yah all worked up and…well, y'know."

"You are an evil, evil woman."

Footsteps crossed the floor then and Edgar felt a boot in his ribs, gently nudging a sore spot.

"Wake up," growled the man. "We've got a few questions for you."

At that, he opened one eye and saw the 'man' wasn't anything more than a teenager! And the husky-voiced woman was gorgeous but she had to be younger than the teen.

But they didn't move like teenagers…

They moved like predators.

Smelled like predators.

His mind, still half between human and wolf, freaked and he hurriedly sat up, shoving himself away from the pair. Even as all werewolf and with his control lost, he'd probably have been afraid of these two.

"Wh-what do you want?" he asked whilst wondering why he felt like he had mothballs in his mouth. As well as why his throat and thigh hurt like hell.

"Answers," replied the boy. He sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed, which caused Edgar to take note of his surrounding and realize he was in a motel room. "I'm Alex, this is Di."

Edgar blinked then said, "E-Edgar Watson. I…" He then looked down at his hands and cringed at the sight of blood. "Oh God, I got loose again…"

He saw movement and noticed the pair relaxing, the coldness that had been in the boy's eyes fading. The amount of warmth that replaced it was a strange contrast.

"Glad to know you didn't do that deliberately," Alex said quickly. "And, yeah, you did kill a few people."

"Oh God…"

"One was trying to kill yah though," piped the girl, Di. "Not sure if you count that as a good thing though."

"Kill me?" questioned Edgar. "Who?"

Alex sighed and said, "Three werewolf hunters. Actually poachers is a better word for what they did." He reached for something on the bed behind him and tossed it at Edgar's feet. The werewolf pushed himself away from it and his still sensitive nose smelled the old blood.

"Wolf teeth," he breathed. "Jesus…" He then looked at the pair and asked, "Why did you save me?"

Di smiled as Alex spread his hands wide, saying, "We had a friend – most monosybillic guy you'll ever meet – who was a werewolf. So we know that there's good people underneath all that fur."

Edgar nodded slowly, happy to actually be alive once more even though he was tearing himself up for killing people _again_. Obviously he was still doing something wrong since he kept getting out. Apparently a decade of transforming hadn't taught him how to make a good cage to hold himself yet.

That's what he got for going into writing instead of construction.

"Th-thanks," he stammered. Then he frowned and asked, "What about the other two? You mentioned there were three…"

"We took care of 'em," stated Di in a voice that didn't brook any argument or any questions.

Edgar blinked at that then found himself staring at Alex as the boy leaned forward.

"So…how about we help you figure out how to not kill people every full moon?"

It wasn't a cure being offered – Edgar knew that was impossible from years of looking. But somehow he had the feeling that these two kids that had to be two decades younger than him could help him.

"That'd be wonderful," he managed to say as a smile came onto his face.

* * *

"How did you think of this?" asked Edgar as he stared at the contraption Alex had put together over the past month in his basement. It was all made of wood but was strong and stout…something a werewolf would have a tough time breaking through. And there were several layers to it, the strength of the wood heightened by the overlay. 

"Oh," replied the teenager airily as he dusted off his hands, "I've picked up a few things here and there."

Edgar eyed him and said slowly, "Alex…I'm well aware that you can't be anymore than nineteen. No one your age could know how to construct something like this."

Hazel eyes regarded him warily then he was shocked as the teenager spilled the story of a Halloween possession and memories of an assassin.

"An assassin knew how to build?"

"They had all sorts of contraptions built around their base," explained Alex. "All the apprentices learned of them and how they were built as well as used. Just in case one ever broke when they were on it or near, they could consider which way to jump if need be or how to quickly repair it if possible." He waved at the cage in front of them, adding, "This was a design he remembered seeing once, not something ever actually built. At least not that he knew of."

"What was it for?" asked Edgar, shocked he believed the story. But he was a werewolf after all, so why shouldn't he believe this?

"Holding prisoners without a chance of them escaping."

The man nodded slowly then turned to look at the teenager and said, "So, you trained yourself from the memories of this assassin, I take it…"

"Yup," replied Alex.

"So what's Di?"

Alex grinned and asked, "Di's something else. You ever heard of the Slayer?"

Edgar blinked then nodded slowly.

"She's a Slayer. I actually saved another Slayer – resuscitated her after she drowned – and accidentally started a second line. Or that's what we always have said." Alex scratched the back of his neck as he continued, "I more think its along the lines of my bringing her back just let her keep the power but the real kaboom behind being a Slayer went on to the next girl then Di when she was Called."

"So…there are two Slayer's but one is sort of a false one whilst the other – Di – is the real deal."

"That's what I think. Beats me if it's true." Alex shrugged then said, "Anyway, lemme show you how this baby works. Its really kinda cool for the time it was designed…"

Edgar smiled and followed the teen forward towards the contraption, listening raptly to his explanation and mentally taking notes.

As well as deciding if these kids needed _anything_, he'd do whatever he could for them.

After all…they'd given him his life back.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

And this is, of course, not the same Edgar that Shawn Rey is talking about in the previous chapter. Just thought I'd point that out to make sure there was no confusion.


	13. With a Little Help From our Friends

_I - I can remember, standing by the wall, and the gun shots above our heads. And we kissed, as though nothing could fall, and the shame was on the other side. Oh, we can beat them, forever and ever, then we could be heroes - just for one day._

David Bowie "Heroes"

**Title:** We Could Be Heroes(13/?)  
**Rating:** R-ish  
**Fandom:** Buffy the Vampire Slayer  
**Timeline:** Season 2 Halloween onward  
**Pairings: **Most canonwise, Xander/Faith  
**Crossover Material:** Assassin's Creed  
**Spoilers:** General BtVS and AC ending information  
**Summary:** After Halloween, Xander finds himself with the knowledge of the assassin Altair Ibn La-Ahad and the decision to either use these new skills to help his friends or not. But not everyone is very happy with that arrangement...

* * *

"Harris and Lehane Sex Party," chirped Faith as she picked up the ringing cell phone. "We…yo, Tara! What's my favorite magic woman doin'?"

"Sex Party?" rumbled Xander sleepily as he lifted his head from the pillow in their Arkansas motel. "How come I wasn't invited to this? You sleepin' with another Harris?"

Faith laughed and leaned over to kiss him then said into the phone, "Oh, yeah, we're five by five, Tar. What's up with yah?"

She listened intently for a long moment and Xander pushed himself up onto one elbow, waiting patiently for her to tell him what was going on.

"Yeah. Yeah, okay. We'll be there. Thanks, Tar."

As she hung up the phone and sat it aside, he asked, "So?"

Faith frowned then replied, "'Parently Tar caught some Brit's in her town and they asked her a few questions. Suspicious like."

"Council," stated Xander shortly. "Damnit, they've already caught that far up to us?"

"Yeah. Tar, though, she's goin' to visit some folks in Mississippi or somethin'. She wants us to meet her."

"I take it there's another reason for this besides us seeing our favorite witch as you put it?"

Faith nodded and said happily, "She thinks she can do a little magic on us – give us a little cloak against the Council and the Terakans. Plus anyone else."

Xander frowned at the mention of 'anyone else', remembering just before they'd left New Orleans when a lawyer had approached them from some place named Wolfram and Hart. Neither of them had liked the vibes they'd gotten off the guy and he'd threatened the man coldly with certain death if they didn't leave them alone. The lawyer had just smiled and said, "Well, then…a disappointment that we can't do this the easy way. Good day, Mister Harris."

They needed some kind of cloak because already this law firm probably had a hook on their new ID's. Either that or one of them had just gotten lucky and spotted them.

"Okay," he said. "We'll go meet her. Where exactly are we going in Mississippi?"

"Oxford."

Xander nodded then yawned, saying after it faded, "I'll map it out in a few hours. Right now since its, y'know, seven AM, I want to go back to sleep."

"Do yah really?" asked Faith as she turned towards him.

"Well…" Looking thoughtful, he continued, "There was some reason I might stay awake. Oh, what was it?"

She grinned and slid back under the covers next to him, moving so they were close again.

"Mmm," she murmured, "could it have somethin' to do with this woman you're in bed with?"

"Y'know…it just might. Though I seem to have lost her. Think you can help me find her again, hmm, nice lady?"

"Nice lady!" scoffed Faith. Rising, she shoved him over onto his back and crouched over him. "Ain't no nice ladies here, Stud."

"Well damn," said Xander. He then grinned wickedly and winked up at her, asking, "Can I have a bad lady then?"

She frowned for a moment then replied, "Well, we've got just this one left."

"I'll take her!"

Faith laughed as he wrapped his arms around her waist and she leaned over to kiss him, resting her forehead against his.

"Damn right yah will," she murmured.

"Mmm," said Xander with smile, "yes, I think I will."

He twisted then and shifted their positions as he tugged the sheets over their heads before they lost themselves in loving each other again.

* * *

Tara hummed softly as she waited in the coffee shop for Xander and Faith's arrival. Every time the door opened she looked up, expecting to see them, but was continuously disappointed.

After an hour she started to worry about them since Faith had shared a little of their story with her before. It made her feel almost thankful for her own – dealing with her father and his family was far better than their life of running. And they had saved her from that too, giving her the money to not only find her mother's grandparents but to come out here to them, getting her even farther away from her father. She felt she owed them something for that.

If something had happened to them though…

The door opened again and she smiled as she saw the gorgeous brunette enter, her heart jumping. She knew very well that Faith loved Xander wholeheartedly but she was allowed to lust and dream just a little.

"Tar!" exclaimed the brunette as she finally spotted her. Tara rose and met the Slayer with a warm hug, softly saying, "Hi."

"Hi yourself," greeted Xander as she noticed him, his presence suddenly there as though he had simply appeared. In the time since she'd last seen them, he'd obviously learned to move even more quietly then he had previously. He then looked at Faith and asked, "You want anything?"

"Coffee, black," she replied and at Tara's confused look explained, "I get to drive when we leave right after this."

The blonde frowned as they sat down at her table. "You can't stay?" she asked, disappointed.

Faith shook her head, replying, "We ran into a Terakan outside of town. He wasn't specifically tracking us but 'parently we're worth big money."

"Oh. I understand."

"Wish we could, Tar, really do. Mmm, thanks, X." Xander smiled after he handed off the coffee and sat down, sipping from his own cup before he spoke.

"So," he said, "you had something to cast on us?"

Tara blushed and amended, "Give you actually. I'm not good enough yet to do anything like that but…" She trailed off and reached into her bag in the seat next to her, drawing out three silvery chains with different sized gemstones hanging from them. "…I made these."

Separating the chains, she handed Faith one with a half oval of translucent yellow stone. "Its called labradorite," she explained. "It's supposed to strengthen the will and inner strength and convictions."

She handed one of the others to Xander, who peered curiously at the swirls in the large, dark green oval of the gem hanging from it. "Malachite," said Tara, "for releasing negative emotions and protecting from psychic attacks."

He grinned at that and muttered, "Useful. If all the spiritual stuff about gemstones are true."

She smiled, softly saying, "I believe so."

"So what's yours, Tar?" asked Faith, nodding at the chain she still held.

"Emerald," she replied with a smile as she held it up, a square translucent green gem set into a silver backing, "for enhancing memory and promoting clear thinking." She then put the chain on and reached out to touch her friends' arms as they looked confused, looking around for her. "I'm right here."

Faith's eyes widened and she looked down at the gem in her hand, asking, "That what they do?"

Tara nodded eagerly and quickly explained, "It's a spell that causes the eyes to not focus on you. People see you but unless you touch them or directly interact with them, they can't see you. Once someone is recognized by the spell, they can always see you."

"Wicked!"

The Slayer quickly put hers on and giggled, "This is awesome!" as she touched the both of them, quickly allowing both their eyes to refocus on her.

Xander smiled, shaking his head, then hooked the chain around his neck. He came back into Tara's sight as he reached across the table to pat her hand, saying, "Thanks, Tara. These'll be very helpful." Then he pulled Faith against his side and kissed her forehead, asking, "Won't they, hmm?"

"Very," replied the brunette. "Maybe for once we'll get a peaceful month or two."

"We can only hope," said Xander wearily. He then smiled at Tara again before saying, "We should go."

"Do you really have to leave so soon?" asked the witch.

He nodded slowly in response and heaved a sigh. "Unfortunately, we should. We've got no idea if that Terakan called in where we were to any others – we've been told they don't really work together and help each other but I'm not really willing to take the chance."

"Oh," said Tara mournfully. Then she forced a smile and added, "Well, I'm just glad you're both okay. And I never really thanked you both for helping me."

Faith waved a hand dismissively as they stood, saying, "No need to say that, Tar. That's what we do, ain't it, X?"

"Run around and help people amongst our fleeing from assassins and the Council? Yeah, that's us in a nutshell."

Faith laughed then moved around the table to hug Tara tightly, asking, "You need us to drop you off anywhere?"

"I'll be fine," answered the witch with a smile. "You two go."

"Okay. Yah call us if you need anything, remember?"

"I promise."

The Slayer smiled and hugged her again before she moved to Xander's side as they walked out of the coffee shop together. Tara watched them through the window with a sad smile as they got into their car and drove off, already missing them. She hadn't met them for long that first time but the pair laid an impression on anyone they met – most especially Faith.

Sighing, she picked up her bag and threw away her cup as she walked out, walking back in the direction of her grandparents' house with a smile. It was sad parting with them again but she knew she'd end up running into them again.

They just attracted too much trouble even without the Council and the Order of Teraka for her not to.


	14. Watch Your Ass

_I - I can remember, standing by the wall, and the gun shots above our heads. And we kissed, as though nothing could fall, and the shame was on the other side. Oh, we can beat them, forever and ever, then we could be heroes - just for one day._

David Bowie "Heroes"

**Title:** We Could Be Heroes(14/?)  
**Rating:** R-ish  
**Fandom:** Buffy the Vampire Slayer  
**Timeline:** Season 2 Halloween onward  
**Pairings: **Most canonwise, Xander/Faith  
**Crossover Material:** Assassin's Creed  
**Spoilers:** General BtVS and AC ending information  
**Summary:** After Halloween, Xander finds himself with the knowledge of the assassin Altair Ibn La-Ahad and the decision to either use these new skills to help his friends or not. But not everyone is very happy with that arrangement...

* * *

"Halloween's the one time yah can really be free, y'know," observed Faith as they walked down the Atlanta streets arm-in-arm.

"By hiding under a costume?" queried Xander, feeling nervous even though neither of them were wearing a costume. Since the Halloween where he'd inherited Altaïr's memories, he'd never been comfortable on the day anymore.

"Yeah," replied Faith. "I mean yah can be anything you want."

He chuckled at that. "Not _everything_."

The Slayer lightly slapped his arm for that, scolding, "Thinking dirty thoughts that ain't about me? Shame on you, X?"

"Now who said they weren't about you?" he asked curiously, tugging her closer. "I think you'd look great in a school girl outfit. Y'know, the short skirt and all with the…"

"Good to know your fantasies didn't get changed by Altair," she murmured as she gave him a slap again. "Also, no way in hell."

"The world he grew up in didn't condone much to fantasies like that. And why such an answer? I mean _I'd_ love it…"

Faith shook her head, asking, "I ain't sexy enough on my own?"

Xander lifted a finger, saying, "Sexy in itself does not cover what you are. You…" He broke off speaking, as there was a scream from nearby and sighed. "We really can't get a break, can we?"

"Nope," she replied, pulling away from him. "C'mon!"

As she broke off into a run even he couldn't keep up with, Xander sighed. "Says the woman that can outrun an Olympic sprinter if she wanted to," he grumbled before he took off after her.

When he caught up to her, she whispered, "Mugging."

"Let's go then," he stated.

"X…"

"I don't like bullies," he growled in explanation then dove around the corner and into the alleyway. Faith rolled her eyes then followed him, feeling a bit nervous. Something about this didn't seem right…

She twisted around to see Xander shoving the would-be mugger away, easily slapping aside a knife he came at him with. A hand to the throat with fingers closing hard around the esophagus and the mugger was against the wall. Faith turned to the would-be victim and was surprised to see the woman looking up at her with a strange look of triumph in her eyes.

She twisted aside as the woman pulled a syringe from her bag and thrust at her with it.

"X!" she screamed desperately. "Council!"

He twisted around, eyes wide, then looked back at the mugger who was grinning at him. With a snarl, he lifted his left hand and drew the hidden blade, shoving it into the man's throat. As he went down with his blood flowing out, Xander turned and pulled out his gun on the woman from where it was hidden in a shoulder holster under his coat.

"How'd you find us?" he spat as both he and Faith moved back towards the entrance to the alley.

"We're everywhere," replied the woman, not seeing at all put off by the death of her companion. "In almost every major city, just waiting for a chance you might be there. One of our team brushed by you in a mall not a day ago and we knew just where to set up our traps to catch you both."

Faith's eyes widened as she remembered the guy she'd bumped into who'd stared at them in surprise.

"Shit," she hissed, "X…"

"You can't run!" insisted the woman.

"Watch us," growled Xander, keeping the gun on her. "Go, Faith."

"But…"

"GO!"

Nodding, she turned and ran, hearing a shot ring out behind her then footsteps. She slowed so Xander could catch up to her as he shoved the gun back under his coat and noted the annoyed look on his face.

"Can't kill people with the damn thing," he growled. "Its too quick a kill."

"What'd yah do then?"

"Shot out her kneecaps," he replied with a feral smile. Then he looked ahead of them and hissed, "Fuck!"

Faith's eyes widened as she saw what he did and shoved them both down as the man stepping out of the car with a tranquilizer gun fired. They both rolled to their feet and she drew the knife hidden in one of her boots as Xander rolled up with a throwing dagger in hand. The blade buried itself in the gunman's throat and he grabbed her hand, running off to the right down an alley without bothering to retrieve it.

After dodging another tranquilizer wielding gunman, he drew her to a stop in a shadow of a building and hissed, "We have to separate."

Faith stared at him then breathed, "X, I ain't leaving you."

"We're easier to find when we're together. Just…just run and meet me…meet me a block from the motel at that gas station. I'll circle back around and get the car, okay?"

"I don't like this…"

Xander pulled her against his chest, arms tightly wrapped around her, and muttered, "Neither do I. But we've got a better chance alone."

"Damnit," hissed Faith. She then tugged his face down to hers, drawing him into a long kiss before she pulled away. "Don't you die on me. I ain't ready to lose yah just yet."

"Neither am I," said Xander. He then kissed her again before hissing, "Go," as he pushed her away.

Faith watched him take off in a sprint down the road then turned and darted out of the alleyway and into another one.

* * *

Xander fell easily into a steady run through the streets, sending another of the Council's men to a swift death with another throwing dagger. As he dodged another's dart, he leapt up onto a garbage bin and grabbed for a rusted closed fire escape above it. Swinging to avoid a second dart, he climbed up the ladder and then sprinted up the stairs, hearing the shouts below him.

As he reached the roof of the low building, he ran to the opposite edge and grinned as he saw a layout of buildings of similar height that stretched out in front of him for a short way. It wasn't quite like the areas Altaïr had ventured through but it was similar enough.

Taking a few steps back, he ran forward and launched himself into the air, landing hard on the next building. He was up again in moments though and running again, the adrenaline and fear of them getting their hands on what he knew driving him.

The shouts eventually faded behind him and he swung down from the last roof, taking a moment to get his bearings before he took off in the direction of their motel.

He just hoped Faith had gotten there okay…

* * *

Faith stood waiting impatiently for Xander, feeling like he should have been there by now. He had to have gotten caught!

The thought sickened her and she took off towards the motel in fear. She had to get to the car – even though he had the keys, she knew how to break in and hotwire it.

As she saw the Celica where it sat in the parking lot, she heard the screech of tires and turned to see a black van bearing down on her. Cursing, she took off at a run towards the motel but knew she wouldn't make it.

Another van swerved in front of her and she skidded to a stop, spinning instantly to change direction and go around.

A burst of pain and numbness in her leg made her glance down to see a tranquilizer dart in it. Fear and sheer determination kept her going for a few steps towards the Celica but she felt her strength fade away quickly. She wasn't moving as quickly as usual…and it wasn't just from a tranquilizer.

The darts were filled with the Cruciamentum drug!

Another stabbed into her back and she stumbled, falling to the ground. Terror filled her but her mind was still clear enough for her to reach for the necklace at her throat and unhook the clasp. Taking it all up in her hand, she struggled upright again and threw it towards the Celica, the motion covered by her collapsing under the blow from another dart – this one a real tranquilizer.

As she felt her entire body going numb, she heard a male voice say, "We've got her. Do you want us to wait on the boy?"

There was a crackle of a voice from a radio of some kind then the voice barked, "Pack it in. We're taking her home."

"We're leaving the boy?" questioned another voice as Faith felt hands on her, tying her up and lifting her.

"Letting him come to us," replied the voice coldly. "He'll come for her. And then we'll have him."

That was the last thing she heard as whoever had lifted her threw her into one of the vans, her head smashing hard against something within. As she lay there, feeling the pain of the blow only dully through the fog of her mind, she hoped to God X came after them.

The Council didn't know whom they were dealing with at all, was her last thought before she finally succumbed to unconsciousness.

* * *

"Faith! _FAITH!_"

Xander cursed as he arrived at their car, eyes darting around. He'd circled past the gas station before coming to the motel and hadn't seen her.

Now she wasn't here…

Which meant…

"No, don't think about it," he hissed under his breath as he strode towards the car. "Don't…"

He spotted a flicker of gold on the ground and felt something hard close around his heart as he bent down and scooped up Faith's necklace.

They had her.

The Council _had_ her. He just knew it.

She wouldn't have left Tara's necklace otherwise.

Xander stared down at the gemstone for a moment then closed his fist around it, teeth clenched over a scream of agony. He shut his eyes and very quickly shoved the pain away – he needed to think clearly for this.

Stuffing the necklace inside his coat, he pulled out the keys to the car and opened the trunk. Running quickly to their room, he threw their bags together then was back downstairs, tossing them into the trunk. Slamming it shut, he drew out the cell phone and dialed Giles' number as he got into the driver's seat and pulled out his map of the States.

"Yes?" came the sleepily voice at the other end of the line.

"They took her," spat Xander in a cold voice.

"Who…Xander?"

"The Council took her!" he screamed into the phone. "They found us and they _took her_!"

There was the sound of low cursing and something breaking then Giles said, "Son, we'll get her back. Just…where are you now?"

"Atlanta," replied Xander harshly. "Where'll they take her?"

"Back to London. To headquarters. I…damnit. I'll make some calls, son. Then I'll meet you there in Atlanta at the airport."

"I don't have a passport."

"I'll handle that, don't worry. And I promise you that we _will_ bloody well get her back."

"I know," said Xander softly. "Thanks, Giles."

"You don't have to thank me for anything, son," said the former Watcher firmly then the line went dead. For a long moment he sat there with the phone still to his ear then tossed it violently into the passenger seat – the seat Faith should be in.

Xander stared at the empty space and felt distinctly like the world was shrinking around him. Suddenly nothing mattered but this moment – this space of time without Faith. It _hurt_ like nothing else ever had.

He felt cold and hot all at once and gripped the steering wheel tightly. Absolute rage roared through him for a long moment then it settled into a frightening coldness. Everything else pushed itself aside and all that mattered now was getting her back.

And killing anything that got in his way.

Xander lifted his head and glared out at the night sky for a long moment. Then he violently cranked the car and tore out of the parking lot, leaning over to pick up the phone again.

When Giles picked up, he shortly stated, "Meet me in Houston, not Atlanta." Without waiting for an answer he hung up and turned off the phone as he spun onto the road that would take him out of town.

It had taken them over two months of back road travel to get from Houston to Atlanta. Now he was planning to take every highway he could find to get back there.

Because he gotten the vibe of a fighter off of Rey and he'd known they were being watched during that last meeting with him. Sizing him up or whatever, he didn't care what the man had been doing.

He was a fighter that was what mattered. And he seemed to have friends that were interested in the two of them.

Xander smiled coldly as he put the gas pedal to the floor and let the Celica's engine roar.

If they were so interested, then Rey's friends could help him out in getting Faith back. Even if he had to force them at the point of a blade or the end of his gun.

He was getting her back no matter what it took.


	15. Prepare for Battle

_I - I can remember, standing by the wall, and the gun shots above our heads.  And we kissed, as though nothing could fall, and the shame was on the other side.  Oh, we can beat them, forever and ever, then we could be heroes - just for one day._

David Bowie  "Heroes"

**Title:** We Could Be Heroes(15/?)  
**Rating:** R-ish  
**Fandom:** Buffy the Vampire Slayer  
**Timeline:** Season 2 Halloween onward  
**Pairings: **Most canonwise, Xander/Faith  
**Crossover Material:** Assassin's Creed  
**Spoilers:** General BtVS and AC ending information  
**Summary:** After Halloween, Xander finds himself with the knowledge of the assassin Altair Ibn La-Ahad and the decision to either use these new skills to help his friends or not.  But not everyone is very happy with that arrangement...

* * *

"Hmm."

Athan looked up from his book at the noise and asked, "What is it, Dev?"

The dark-haired man across the room bent over a map spread over a aged table turned to look at him curiously.

"That teenager Alex is back here in Houston."

"I thought you said he was just in Atlanta not a week ago," said Athan, rising to come stand next to him.  He then frowned and asked, "Where's the girl's mark?"

"That's just it," replied Dev with a frown.  "It's disappeared.  No trace."

"There's more powerful magic blocking it?"

The mage shook his head at that, explaining, "Tracking spells aren't powerful magic anyway, Athan.  I could concoct one to trace her trail but I'm not sure it would even be able to do so with such a weak spell."

Sighing, Athan ran a hand back through his graying brown hair then asked, "Where's the boy now?"

Dev leaned over the map again, mumbling something as he laid his hand on it then pressed it to a close up map of Houston he pulled out from under the larger one.  As the tracking spell reset itself to the new map, he frowned.

"He's heading for the bar."

"Shawn's bar?"

"That's the one."

Athan scratched his head then closed his book, setting it aside.  "Call ahead to the bar and give him a warning," he said as he turned to head upstairs.

"What are you going to do?" called Dev after him.

"I'm going to call Nix and get her to meet me there.  And we'll hope that kid hasn't found out we tracked him and pissed off about it."

"What if he's here for another reason?" asked Dev, moving to the base of the stairs.  "What if something's happened to the girl?"

Athan paused halfway up and turned to reply, "Then we'll help him.  You know I can't stand it when kids get hurt.  Now call Shawn, will you?"

Dev nodded and moved towards the phone sitting on the desk Athan had been at, lifting it as he dialed the number he knew by memory.  He just hoped Shawn wasn't currently drunk…

* * *

When Xander strode up to the bar, he found Rey standing outside calmly smoking.  He strode on through the surprise he felt and lunged at the man, shoving him hard against the wall he was leaning against.

"How'd you know I was coming?" he demanded.

Rey lifted both hands and replied, "Hey, man, look, I've got a friend that helps kids.  You came in here wanting two fake ID's and I figured you might need the help but I didn't want to force it on you."

Xander's eyes narrowed at that.  "You were tracking us by magic.  There's no other way for you to have known I was coming."

"Wasn't mine."

"Another friend?"

"Indeed," replied a new voice and Xander spun, letting go of Rey to face the two people coming up the street, who he hadn't figured for being involved in this so he'd ignored them.  One was an older man at least three decades older than him with graying brown hair, some tattoo on his cheek, and an eye patch whilst the other was an olive skinned woman somewhere around the same age with bleached blonde hair and hazel eyes that were an alligator sort of cold.

"Who the hell are you people?" he demanded.

The man sighed then replied, "I'm Athanasius Delaney, this is my wife Phoenix, and I think you already know Shawn there."

"Who tracked me?"

"A mage that's a friend of ours," replied Shawn, rubbing his throat.  "Devin."

Xander nodded slowly, calculating, then he turned to Athan since he seemed to be the leader of this group.  "You're all fighters, right?  And you know at least enough to have a mage on your side."

The woman Phoenix shrugged and spat, "We take down the bloodsuckers, demons, and what-not when they come into town."

"Fair enough.  Do you know about the Slayer?"

"Been hearing rumors there were two," replied Athan, "though its said one's gone rogue.  And…"  His one eye widened and he stared at Xander, who slowly nodded.  "The girl with you.  She was the other Slayer."

"The Council took her," snarled Xander.  "I don't know what they do to Slayers who've gone rogue or what they've done to her for the past week it took me to get back here.  But they took her to get to me."

"Why?" asked Shawn curiously.

"I know things they want to know," replied Xander.  "Things I _don't_ want them or anyone else to know.  So I need help getting her back from the Council – from their headquarters themselves in London."

Athan frowned then glanced aside at his wife, who was grinning ferally.  She turned to look up at him and purred, "Oh, you know I love anything that's bound to turn into a fight.  I say we go."

"I agree," said Athan, "for the sake of the girl.  I've heard enough about the Council to know that I don't like them – letting a child, even an empowered one, do that is cruel."

"Not for all of them," said Xander.  "Being a Slayer's the best thing that happened to Faith.  And they've probably taken that away from her by now."

Athan nodded slowly since he'd heard a few nasty rumors about the Council's point of 'retiring' their Slayer's.  "We'll help you, kid.  And I thought her name was Di."

"She's Faith.  I'm Xander.  And I have help coming here."

"Who?" asked Shawn.

"A former Watcher," replied Xander with a cold smile that made Phoenix's eyes light up.  "He's going to help us get in."

Athan nodded then took a step towards the teenager, asking in a low voice, "And what do we do when we get there with the Council?"

Hazel eyes went cold and the man was surprised when Xander's voice suddenly changed, becoming tinged with an almost foreign accent.

"We kill them," he replied harshly.  "We kill every single one of them."

* * *

"Put the girl through her Cruciamentum!"

"No!" exploded Travers, rising from his chair to bang a fist against the table.  "We wait until the boy arrives for her, until we capture him.  I want him to watch her struggle through it and die."

"And until then?" asked another voice in the room.

"Until then let her torment continue.  Its nothing more than the little whore deserves."

* * *

"So," observed a voice behind Giles and he turned to see the man Athan standing there, "you were a Watcher."

"Formerly, yes.  I was stripped of my duties because I apparently became too close with my Slayer."

"Faith?"

"No," replied Giles wearily.  With all he had dealt with since her leaving Sunnydale, he almost wished she had been.  "Buffy."

Athan nodded and then moved to stand at the window near his desk where the other man sat.  They were both downstairs in the book store he ran between hunting and keeping a group of young magic practitioners in line with the rest of his group and Xander asleep upstairs in his apartment.

"So you condoned all this once?" he asked as he looked out the window.  "The training of teenage girls and then the 'retirement' of them."

"I have never agreed with the bloody Cruciamentum," hissed Giles.  "Not with Buffy and certainly not with Faith."

"Hmm."

Giles frowned at the man's back then rose, asking, "Is this some sort of interrogation, Mister Delaney?"

"Not at all, Mister Giles.  I'm simply curious about these two children."

"Faith is a Slayer."

"Yes, I'm well aware of that," replied Athan.  He turned away from the window then and said, "Its more Xander I am curious about.  The way he fights and moves – like an assassin.  I'm curious as to how a child came to learn that."

Giles stiffened then demanded, "Why?"

"I was taken as a child by a group of demons, my mother killed by one because she made a deal that saved me when I was looking forward to a comatose life.  They were looking to collect earlier than when specified in said deal so I was taken, stripped of my memories, and have only recently gotten them back but that's not the matter.  They trained me as an assassin so I know just what I am talking about.  Now…do tell me, were there some left after I killed every one for taking one of the children I look after or is there another explanation?"

Giles frowned, not wanting to reveal this without Xander's say, but they needed the help.  They needed this man to trust them.

Sighing, he began the story of that Halloween, telling of his old friend Ethan and then moved on to the day he'd found out.  He explained what he knew of the details of the memories that remained from Xander's possession and found Athan nodding.

"The Hashshashin I've heard of," said the man.  "Even learned a few things of them from demons that had studied them and taken a few human methods for their own."

"Demons taking human methods?" breathed Giles in surprise.

"They took every advantage they could, even if humans thought of it first," replied Athan.  He then ran a hand back through his hair and nodded, saying, "You've got our help for certain."

"You just needed to ask that."

"I needed to know if someone was out there kidnapping children and turning them into monsters again."

Giles nodded slowly then asked, "How did you escape?"

Athan smiled and turned back to the window as he replied, "Escape?  You never really escape from demons, Mister Giles."  He ran his fingers along his left cheek and mournfully continued, "Even if you get away from them, start a new life, and kill every single one that took all you had and made you a killer.  You never get away from them."

Slowly Giles moved to stand next to the man and said softly, "You can never escape from black magic either.  And bloody well just call me Giles."

Athan stiffened then asked, "You noticed Devin.  And it's Athan."

"I became rebellious in my youth – I never wanted to be a Watcher at all.  The group I fell in with practiced it and it wasn't until we summoned a demon and it killed one of us that I abandoned it.  It still tempts however.  And, yes, I did notice the feel of it around him."

"He lost his arm to black magic," explained Athan.  "Sometimes he falls under it again but…he tries."

"That is the important thing," said Giles.  He then closed his eyes and continued, "We should get some sleep ourselves if we intend to leave in the morning."

Athan nodded and as the former Watcher turned away, he asked, "Do you think she's still alive?"

Giles paused and was silent for a long moment before he replied, "I hope to God that she is.  If she's not I am rather afraid of what Xander will do."

"And who will protect them from the wrath of the law?  I have my own contacts I've had to gather to keep Nix out of jail but I don't think they'd be too fond of me piling two more people onto them."

"If things go as I hope," answered Giles wearily as he paused on the stairs, "a wiser Council can offer them protection from the law on this score."

Athan nodded slowly then murmured, "I certainly hope so."

"As do I, Athan.  As do I."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Thank you very much, Dargos, for sending me that PM.  It gave me pause before uploading this chapter to add in that last bit. 


	16. Creed Two: Hide in Plain Sight

_I - I can remember, standing by the wall, and the gun shots above our heads.  And we kissed, as though nothing could fall, and the shame was on the other side.  Oh, we can beat them, forever and ever, then we could be heroes - just for one day._

David Bowie  "Heroes"

**Title:** We Could Be Heroes(15/?)  
**Rating:** R-ish  
**Fandom:** Buffy the Vampire Slayer  
**Timeline:** Season 2 Halloween onward  
**Pairings: **Most canonwise, Xander/Faith  
**Crossover Material:** Assassin's Creed  
**Spoilers:** General BtVS and AC ending information  
**Summary:** After Halloween, Xander finds himself with the knowledge of the assassin Altair Ibn La-Ahad and the decision to either use these new skills to help his friends or not.  But not everyone is very happy with that arrangement...

* * *

Mary finished the last of the filing and tucked it into her desk, which sat in the cramped little entrance hall to the building that housed the Watcher's Council.  Daughter of one of the older families of Watcher's and she had been shoved here at this desk taking _phone calls_ because she violently and loudly disagreed with several pieces of policy.

Smiling, she rose and pulled on her overcoat, buttoning it closed, and then reached for her umbrella hanging on a nearby hook.

No one even thought to watch her.

Let them regret that decision!  That and every other, including shoving her aside when she knew she was _right_ and what they did to those girls was wrong.  What they were doing to Miss Lehane even now was wrong.

Her smile turned cold and bitter as she turned towards the front door.  She walked through it and left it open as she stepped out into the rainy night, opening her umbrella wide.

There was a flicker of movement in the nearby shadows and she gave a slight wave before taking off towards her flat.

She trusted Rupert would rescue that young woman – how, she didn't particularly want to know or care.  She'd seen his records herself; she knew of his youth and of Ripper.

There was a reason Quentin Travers feared him and had sent him to the Hellmouth.

Smiling, Mary murmured, "Lord be with you, Rupert," before she pulled her umbrella down close to her to shield against a gust of wind and bustled on off into the dark night.

* * *

Giles pushed the door open, glancing within, then entered.  Xander, cloaked and cowled, followed him in first, looking not a bit annoyed by the wait they'd had in the rain until Mary had left.  After him came Shawn, who was scowling but that was understandable somewhat since it had been revealed he was a firestarter – more specifically, as Giles explained, he had magic that only focused on fire which was a rare thing – with Dev close behind him, his magic twisted arm uncovered to reveal the somewhat draconic shape it had been turned to.  Phoenix, looking not at all put out by the weather, came in wearing a death's head smile and Athan was the last of the party to enter, firmly closing the door behind them.

The moment the lock made contact, the building's wards went up and instantly a wailing alarm began to sound.  Dev smiled and said, "Go, go, I'll handle this here."

As he dropped to the floor in the center of the room and began to drawn on it with a marker, Phoenix took two strides forward and kicked open the closed door that led to the rest of the building.  Two shocked Watchers stared at her as she smiled then lifted the shotgun that was holstered around her waist and fired.

"I love carnage," she purred then looked over her shoulder, blood spattered across her face.  "Shall we, lover?"

"You go ahead and play, Nix," replied Athan with a smile.  "I'll be with you in a moment."

The olive-skinned woman smiled then darted through the doorway over the two bodies, her mad cackle of laughter drifting back to them between the cracks of her shotgun.  Athan shook his head then turned to Giles, asking, "Where will she be?"

"Holding cells underneath the building," replied the former Watcher.  "You handle up here.  Xander and I can deal with anyone below."

"You sure?"

Athan was surprised by the sudden look at came into the man's eyes – a look that wasn't too dissimilar from the one that was always in his wife's eyes.  He then smiled and growled, "I'll take that as a 'yes'," before he strode through the door after Phoenix with his twin Desert Eagles drawn.  Shawn looked after him then at Giles and Xander before turning towards the still drawing Dev.

"Is that a permanent marker?"

"Striking against the man," intoned the mage seriously as he finished his work.  "Now shoo.  Everyone else is off killing someone already.  Go set someone on fire while I butcher these wards."

Shawn smiled then shrugged as he did realize that he and Dev were alone now.  Pulling out a cigarette, he lit it with a flicker of flame along his fingers then slouched into the building after his more insane companions, idly nudging a not quite dead corpse with his foot and turning it to ash in an instant.

"I love being me," he muttered then moved on.

* * *

She couldn't remember ever being in so much pain.  Not even her mother had put her through this much hell.  She hadn't been that vindictive a bitch.

They'd punched her.

Kicked her.

Spit in her face.

Ripped out her hair.

Screamed at her.

Bit her.

Broken her fingers.

Her toes.

Torn one shoulder out of its socket.

Broke the other arm in three places.

Both legs shattered, knees busted to bits.

Ribs cracked and digging painfully into her.

Chest aching – it hurt to breath.

It hurt to move – to be moved.

And still they kept coming.

She'd lost any real sense of them beating on her long ago.  Now it was like watching a movie – she could almost believe they were beating on someone else.  That battered face and body wasn't hers…couldn't be.  She didn't look like that.

"Bitch!"

The wail of the alarm made them stop and a sliver of hope invaded the pain and agony that had almost broken her.

"X-Xander?" she breathed through bloody, cracked lips.

A kick in the ribs answered her, the voice of one of her tormentors snarling, "Shut up, bitch!  You worthless bloody whore!"

The pain consumed her, fire pouring through her torso, and the darkness consumed her again.

* * *

"…worthless bloody whore!"

Xander heard the shout on the other side of the door and slowly pushed it open, wondering if the hinges would squeak.  When they didn't, he moved inside…and froze.

Was…

Was that broken heap of blood and shattered flesh on the floor Faith?

No.

_No._

He was moving before he realized it, cold rage burning in his veins.  Any lingering idea of stealth vanished in the wake of it and he drew the short sword from across his back, striking the closer man as he turned across the face.  As he went down screaming, blood streaming into his eyes, Xander lunged after him and slammed the blade between ribs into his heart.

The other man – the one that was closer to Faith; that had been torturing her _this _time – turned now.  Saw him.

He felt the bite in his shoulder as something was thrown at him but he brushed the pain away like a fly.  On his feet in an instant, he lunged forward and the man stumbled back, terror in his eyes, before Xander slammed into him.  Both fell to the floor in a tangle and he could hear the man screaming, begging for his life.

"No," he replied coldly, not even recognizing his voice as he drew the hidden blade and stabbed it into the waiting throat.

There was a sound of footsteps in the hall even as the alarm faded away suddenly and Xander was on his feet, stepping back towards the wall that would half shield him from sight of the doorway.  He knew it wasn't Giles because they had gone in opposite directions down here in this hell to search for Faith and he couldn't be back by now.

So another tormentor…

He gripped the blade still extended into his hand hard as his eyes fell on Faith again, seeing her struggling to breath.  The cold rage flowed over him again and he bared his teeth as he reached up to push his hood back.

Whoever came through that door next would fucking see their killer!

The footsteps suddenly stopped and he heard a gasp that signaled they'd seen the first body with his blade still in the man's heart.  Spinning from around the wall, he lunged and shoved the newcomer back through the doorway he stood in back up against the corridor's wall.  As he drew back his arm, ready to strike, he paused in recognition.

"Travers," he growled, eyes narrowing.

"H-Harris!" exclaimed the man, looking at him in terror.  "I-I…"

"You thought you could take her and capture me," snarled Xander.  "Thought I'd come in here alone and just fall to your weak little men.  You and your cowards who hide behind women!"

Travers somehow gained a little courage despite the thumb digging into the base of his throat from the hand keeping him against the wall and the blade that rested against his jaw.  "Don't you do just the same?" he asked.

Said thumb dug into his throat deeper and he choked as he heard the growled response.  "I don't hide behind women and let them do my dirty work.  I don't _abandon_ them.  I don't pit them against master vampires on their eighteenth birthday just so you can weed out the ones that don't play by your rules!  I fight with them, at their sides, them at mine – as _equals_."

There was a pause then he heard, "You're the one that got the rest of those groups on our trail."

"What?" gasped Travers as the thumb withdrew, allowing him to breathe again.

"Wolfram and Hart came to see me," hissed Xander.  "And the Order of Teraka has been hounding our trail since Arizona.  You called them on us."

"And how would you know that?"

"I caught Wesley on the phone with you, remember?  He left Sunnydale when we did and didn't come back here so I know he smartened up.  He didn't tell on us.  Neither did Giles.  Nor Buffy.  So it was _you_, Quentin Travers, who has hounded our steps from California to Georgia.  You who gave me the allies who are now tearing ribbons through anyone else in this building."  Travers shuddered at the cold smile that twitched at the young man's mouth.  "You who forced me to my first human kill.  I had really been hoping not to have to actually become that much like Altaïr.  And then you took the woman I'd give my life for, who I would tear down this very Council for."

"That," finished Xander slowly, "was a _grave_ mistake.  All of them.  But the last sealed this moment and your death."

"W-wait!" exclaimed Travers as he felt the blade bite into his skin, blood trickling down his neck.  "I-I'll stop them!  Everything!  Just…"

Xander shook his head slowly, eyes narrowed.  "You can't stop the sand storm once it gains its fury," he said softly.  "All you can do is find cover and pray you survive.  You can't stop what you've set into motion."

"Th-then why kill me?"

"Because you took _her_," spat Xander.  He then twisted his arm and slashed the blade across the Watcher's throat, stepping back as the blood spattered across his clothes.  Travers slowly slumped down against the wall to the floor, his eyes wide with terror as the blood flowed from his torn neck over him.  He looked up at the young man standing over him once, mouthing something, then his eyes went glassy.

Giles came onto the scene as Xander stood glaring down at the body and looked between both.  Then he asked, "Faith?"

"We can't move her," Xander breathed, eyes not drawing away from Travers.  "She's too hurt.  Need a stretcher or something to get her out of here."

"I'll find something," said Giles.  He reached out to gently grip Xander's shoulder, drawing his attention to him.  "We will get her out of here."

Xander nodded then turned to walk slowly back into the room as the man ran off in his search.  Slowly he moved towards the one broken body still alive in the room and crouched down next to her, gently reaching out to touch her matted and bloodstained hair.  When she jerked away from the touch, eyes wide with an animal terror, he wanted to kill Quentin Travers a second time.  And a third, a fourth.  He wanted the man to suffer more for doing this.

"Faith," he managed to choke out through the sudden lump in his throat.  "Its me.  You're safe.  I'm here."

"X-Xander?" he heard softly in a low broken voice.  "S'really y-you?"

"Its me, I promise.  We're getting you out of here."

"The…the…"

"They're dead," said Xander firmly, gently touching her head.  "They're dead, Faith."

He saw her blink through the one eye that wasn't swollen shut then the tears came, sobs tearing through her and obviously causing more pain.  His own tears came as he forced himself to stay where he was, to not draw her into his arms and try to comfort her.  She was too broken for him to touch her.

A noise in the doorway made him turned and there was Giles again with Athan behind him, the two of them angling a door torn off it's hinged through to serve as a stretcher.  The other man's eye widened at the sight of Faith then he went to business, carefully helping Giles and Xander lift her onto the door.  Her little cry of pain at the movement tore at all of them then Xander realized she had gone unconscious again – not a good thing when she was so injured.

"We have to hurry," he growled.

"We will," assured Athan.  He then nodded to Giles and they lifted up the door, Xander walking beside it to keep Faith steadily on it.  As they walked, he tried not to let the fear of them getting this far and finding her and her dying now as they tried to get her out of this hell consume him.

She couldn't die.

Not now. 


	17. On the Road to Recovery

_I - I can remember, standing by the wall, and the gun shots above our heads. And we kissed, as though nothing could fall, and the shame was on the other side. Oh, we can beat them, forever and ever, then we could be heroes - just for one day._

David Bowie "Heroes"

**Title:** We Could Be Heroes(17/?)  
**Rating:** R-ish  
**Fandom:** Buffy the Vampire Slayer  
**Timeline:** Season 2 Halloween onward  
**Pairings: **Most canonwise, Xander/Faith  
**Crossover Material:** Assassin's Creed  
**Spoilers:** General BtVS and AC ending information  
**Summary:** After Halloween, Xander finds himself with the knowledge of the assassin Altair Ibn La-Ahad and the decision to either use these new skills to help his friends or not. But not everyone is very happy with that arrangement...

* * *

Faith woke slowly, groggily feeling pain but not as much as she remembered. Turning her head at the sound of beeping from nearby she realized that she was in a hospital.

And seated in the chair next to her, leaning heavily on the bed with her hand in his, was a very ragged looking and sleeping Xander.

She remembered then the Council taking her and the torture afterwards, closing her eyes quickly against the terrible memory. Sighing, she moved her fingers, running them over Xander's left hand where it held hers. Pausing over his missing ring finger, she noticed he was wearing just a t-shirt and the almost always ever-present gauntlet was missing.

How many of the Watcher's had he killed getting to her?

The door opened in her room then and she focused on it, realizing after a moment at the lack of depth perception that one eye was covered. She couldn't even feel the bandages through the numbness.

Giles, looking almost as weary as Xander, came through the door with a steaming cup in his hands. He paused as he realized she was awake then hurried over, setting the cup of coffee down on the nearby rolling table.

"It is good to see you awake again," he said warmly.

Faith tried to smile but through the groggy numbness she didn't know if she succeeded.

"Good to be awake, G," she mumbled. "How long I been out?"

The man's face fell a little at that then he replied, "One month, one week, and six days. A few of the doctors were worried you weren't going to wake up. But this…"

He smiled and reached out to carefully lay his hand over hers, obviously having a care to touch her from what she'd gone through.

"This, I think," he finished, "is a wonderful belated Christmas present."

"I missed Christmas?" mourned Faith.

"I afraid so but…" Giles' attention turned towards something beyond her as he trailed off and she turned to see Xander lifting his head. He looked even worse sitting up than he had conked out on her beside with dark circles under his eyes and his hair an unwashed mess. But his eyes focused on her and upon seeing her awake…the warmth and love in those eyes was the best thing she'd ever seen.

"Faith," he murmured, rising slowly from his chair. He stared at her for a moment then leaned close, watching her for her reaction. She hated that she couldn't stand him being so close even though she wanted him to just hold her right now and not let go and obviously he saw that because he sat back down. His rough fingers brushed across hers where their hands were still entwined and he bowed his head. "G-man…can-can you leave for a sec?"

"Of course, son," murmured the former Watcher. He patted Faith's hand again then took his cup of coffee and slipped quietly out of the room.

Faith frowned then turned to Xander, who had lifted his head again with tears in his eyes. She grimaced and breathed, "X…"

"I'm sorry," he gasped, voice cracking and sliding between his own and Altaïr's in the wake of his shattered emotions. "Sorry I wasn't there sooner. Sorry…sorry I let this happen at all."

"Yah didn't know this would happen," she insisted in a quiet voice.

"It should've been me," he said desperately. "They should have taken _me_. I'm the one they wanted."

Faith shook her head saying, "This wasn't your fault…"

"I brought you into this mess!"

She reached out towards him with her other hand, cursing the lack of depth perception that threw her aim off. Then he leaned into the hand that had tried to touch his face and she rubbed her thumb across his cheek, wiping away a few of the tears.

"Rather be here like this than back in Sunny D dealing with B and Red," she said softly. "Or back in Boston. Hell, I'd be bad off if it weren't for yah, X."

He nodded against her hand then breathed, "It still should have been me. I didn't think they'd…I didn't think they'd do something like that to you. Lock you up, maybe put you through the Cruciamentum but not that."

She smiled, feeling sleepy, and said, "Daughter of a whore – s'one thing they kept screaming. Maybe they were jealous I had such a fine man."

That brought a little laugh out of him and she squeezed his hand, continuing, "My man got me outta there. That's a fine thing yah did."

"Rescuing a damsel in distress?" he jibbed, watching as she slowly started to nod off, what little she energy she had fading away. "I'm always up for that."

A little mumble was all that answered him and he smiled, rising from his chair and leaning very slowly over her. Gently he kissed her cheek and murmured, "I love you, Faith. And I'm going to make sure we'll at least have the Council off our backs from now on."

Laying her hand down, he exited the room, finding Giles leaning against one wall sipping his coffee and Athan against the other with a scowl on his stubbled features.

"What?" asked the young man.

"Some of the Watcher's that were absent at the time of the – ahem – _accident_ are demanding to talk to us," replied Athan darkly.

Xander arched an eyebrow at that. "They're calling the deaths of over a hundred people an accident? I am growing more hate for Watcher's with every second – present company excluded of course."

"Of course," echoed Giles, calmly taking another sip of his coffee. He then smiled and said, "A few of them are claiming control of the Council by point of being from some of the older families."

"What about you?"

"I am quite happy being a retired Watcher keeping an eye on a thoroughly annoying young blonde Slayer, thank you. Actually I'm not but such is the lot in life. The Giles family may be one of the older Watcher families but it's not the oldest still going and I don't bloody want the job."

Xander smiled then asked, "So…you have someone in mind?"

Giles gave him a smile that echoed the feral expression that had been on the older man's face when they raided the Council.

"Indeed I do," he purred in response. "Give me your phone. It is time, I think, to throw things into a great deal of disarray."

* * *

"You can't be bloody serious!"

One irate Watcher moved towards where Giles stood next to Mary with the rest splayed out behind them but quickly stopped in his tracks when Phoenix stepped forward with a feral smile. The blonde patted her shotgun in its holster hanging from her hips and asked, "You sure you wanna make a fuss, Limey?"

"N-no," stammered the Watcher, stumbling a few steps back.

"Nix," called Athan from where he stood on the other side of Giles, "hon, stop scaring the locals."

"But, lover, they're so _skittish_."

"Everyone's skittish around you, Nix."

She grinned at that and the entire crowd took a step back to get away from the obviously insane American woman.

Giles shook his head then turned to the crowd, which was some odd forty to fifty Watchers with around thirty-five potential Slayers amongst them. All of the latter were gathered out in the hallway, their loud chatter heard by those within the largest room the Watcher's Council building had to offer easily through the open door.

"Now," he said firmly, "you all may have arguments but I do believe that the Wilshire's _are_ the oldest remaining Watcher family. And Mary is the last and most discarded of that line so…it seems perfectly right to me that she should take over the Council."

"Travers was the oldest family!" exploded a voice from the back of the crowd.

There was a spark of flame from behind Athan and Shawn's growling voice silenced the crowd as he stated around a cigarette, "Oh, I wouldn't be worrying about any of them. Kid got one and I snagged the other two when they tried to run. Which is a pity, I'm sure the kid would've loved to take more anger out of a few more of the name."

The crowd stilled at that – at their arrival upon being called back to headquarters, they had been filled in on exactly what had happened. Including Quentin Travers kidnapping the young woman who carried on the Slayer line and the torture of her as well as his death at the hands of Xander Harris.

There was a nervous shifting amongst the crowd then a female voice quavered, "Erm…are we taking a vote?"

"No," replied Giles firmly. He fixed the crowd with a scowl and stated, "I know just about each and every one of you by sight if not by name. And not a one of you is fit to lead the Council. None of you would change it."

"Change!" exploded the same voice from the back that had shouted out the Travers name. "Why should we change?!"

Giles started to answer but Mary silenced him by placing a gentle hand on his arm. She stepped forward, chin held high, and replied, "Because this Council has become diseased over the years. We were formed to _help_ the Slayer in the battle against the darkness, not throw her to it when it suited our whims! Nor to have a trial that serves no purpose than to weed out the girls that would disagree with us."

There was a loud murmur from the hallway then Mary loudly said, "We are here to stand next to them, not sit on the sidelines and watch. We are here to fight next to them! And I will make sure this Council returns to that point in time no matter what it takes."

"Like the killing of Watcher's?" asked a soft voice from the front.

Mary bowed her head and explained, "Quentin Travers was a foolish man with the vision that he could control everything. Faith Lehane, a very brave and remarkable young woman from what I have heard through Rupert here, was wrongfully taken under order by him and tortured. And would have been killed! Killed for no point other than that she did not follow his orders like a good little drone and because he wanted to capture a young man in equal remarkableness to Miss Lehane." Her eyes narrowed as she continued, "But Quentin woke a terrible slumbering storm when he did this foul act. That is why members of this Council lie dead and in nothing but ash now."

"Would this young man not then be an enemy of ours?" asked the same voice from the front. "And Miss Lehane…how will she perform her duties if not with a Watcher?"

"Miss Lehane, as I have learned from speaking with that young man as well, has done many remarkable things without the care of a Watcher. She is a strong, good young woman who we should be proud to know as the current Slayer." Mary paused for effect then stated firmly, "And that young man, Xander Harris, is no enemy of this Council! He was a youth of no extraordinary talent who _chose_ to fight at the side of Miss Summers – a truly remarkable young man. The only reason he raised his hand against us now was in reaction to Miss Lehane's capture and I have his solemn oath that he will remain our ally so long as we bring no harm to him or the folk he claims as his. We will _hold_ to that, Watchers, or this Council will forever fall into the annals of history."

There was a general murmur amongst the gathered Watchers then the soft voiced one at the front stated, "I have no objections." A few other similar murmurs followed it then silenced as Mary raised her hand.

"Excellent," she said with a warm smile. "Then first off we should begin settling those young girls outside and yourselves here within this building. Never fear, the remnants of what went on have been scrubbed away. We are also sealing up the holding areas below at the bequest of Mister Harris. Now off with you, all of you!"

She shooed then away with the grace of a mother then turned to Giles with a gentle smile.

"I think that went well," she stated.

"You were _marvelous_," he stated firmly, bending to kiss her cheek. He then gave her a horrified look, saying, "And, Mary, m'dear, I hope you don't intend to keep me here…"

"Of course not, Rupert. Besides you are more needed to control that most rambunctious Slayer of yours." Mary then looked nervously towards the Watchers leaving the room and quietly said, "I will worry, however, without you here. There are the disagreeable amongst them."

Giles started to open his mouth then was cut off as Athan took a step forward, a smile on the man's face.

"Oh, don't worry, ma'am," he said firmly. "We fully intended to stay around for awhile as – ah, Nix, what's the word I'm looking for?"

Phoenix smiled as she slipped under his arm, molding herself against her husband's side. "Persuasion," she purred in response.

"Ah!" exclaimed Athan. "Exactly."

Mary frowned then asked, "Well, I thank you, Mister Delaney, but I have nothing to pay you…"

The one-eyed man shrugged at that, waving her to silence. "Pay?" he repeated. "We're doing this for those two kids, nothing more. Plus I'm curious to see how this place turns out under you – I've heard terrible things about the Council."

"Well then I hope you shall hear and see better soon."

"As do I." Athan then turned to look at Shawn, who was gnawing on the stub of his cigarette thoughtfully, and asked, "Going to stick around?"

"Ain't like there's anything to do at home if you, Nix, and Dev are gone," replied the firestarter. "We left affairs in order at home too. All's well."

Mary smiled, saying, "Its settled then. I suppose that other man…Mister Outterridge, was it? He'll be staying as well?"

Phoenix smirked as she nodded in response then chuckled a little as Shawn said, "Well sure. He might scare anyone magically inclined though – Dev's got a habit of doing that."

Giles shook his head in mild amusement then said, "Mary, I really must be going now. If I'm not mistaken Faith is getting out of the hospital today and…"

"They are both adamant to return home," finished the woman for him with a smile. She sighed, saying, "I wish I could come with you to tell them goodbye but I fear there's too much to do. Give them my goodbyes, Rupert, please, and give Xander my assurance that his cover story for the deaths is being put to use. And the promise that I shall turn this Council into something they can rely on, not fear."

Giles smiled at that. "They won't believe it until they see it, I fear, but I will tell them. Goodbye, Mary."

"Goodbye, Rupert. And you still owe me dinner!"

"Next time, my dear!" he called over his shoulder as he started out. After a moment he heard Athan shout, "Tell Dev to get over here, will you, Giles? I need his scaly ass to get this place's wards up to snuff!"

Giles waved in response and shook his head as he exited the building to head back to the hospital. While they were an exasperating and thoroughly strange group with a bloodthirsty nature that rivaled some demons – and seemed to _surpass_ them in Phoenix's case – he had grown fond of Athan and his crowd. And they would be a wonderful deterrent to any dissidence within the new Council.

Mary would do good work, he knew.

Now…the problem would be convincing a newly embittered young man and a tormented young woman to believe that.

* * *

As Giles arrived at the hospital, he found Xander and Dev standing outside Faith's room. He took note that the young man was wearing a coat again and looked less like a walking zombie but he didn't get the sense that he was carrying weapons. And Dev's right arm was heavily wrapped in bandages again, hiding his magic torn flesh from sight.

Slowing in his steps, he watched as the mage dropped two items into Xander's hand – two necklaces with gemstone pendants dangling from them. Xander slowly hung one back around his neck, the dark green stone gleaming, then asked, "They good?"

"They should keep you from being noticed by anyone you don't wish to notice you now," replied Dev. "And anyone that you wish to take notice then forget you should do so."

"Wow. Devin, thanks, really…"

"No," said Dev, raising his bandaged hand to cut off the thanks, "it was a gift, Xander, to keep both you and that very brave young woman safe. No thanks are needed." He then smiled and added, "Oh, but you can give the young mage that made those my compliments. That was a remarkable little spell she bound to those."

A grin Giles hadn't seen in a while split the young man's face at that. "Tara'll be glad to hear that even if they didn't work as long as we had hoped," said Xander warmly. "And she's actually what I'd think you'd call a witch."

"Witch, mage," scoffed the man airily. "It's all the same in my book. And you will remember to…"

"Give her your phone number just in case. Yeah, I remember, Devin, I…" Xander turned and noticed Giles then, smiling in greeting. "Just waiting for Faith then we can head for the airport, G-man."

"We still have plenty of time before the plane leaves," assured Giles as he came closer to them. "I made sure of that. Ah, and, Devin, Athan had a few words he wanted me to give you."

The mage rolled his eyes with their strange mix of red and blue, then said, "Okay, hit me. What'd he say?"

"He made the point of me to tell you he needs your scaly ass to get the Council's wards up to snuff," replied Giles with a smile.

Dev laughed at that, shaking his head. "They can't do anything without me," he stated with a smile. Then he nodded to the both of them, saying, "I suppose this is goodbye for now then. And you know where to find us if you need us again, Xander."

"Yeah," said the young man with a grateful smile, "yeah, I do."

Smiling again, Dev reached out to pat his shoulder lightly then walked away from them, hands stuffed in the pockets of his jeans. Giles looked after him for a moment then gave a slight shudder as the feeling of darkness seemed to peel away from his bones. He had gotten used to walking into the presence that always lingered about the man but every time either of them moved, he got that same feeling. It was…rather disturbing.

"They're a strange bunch," commented Xander quietly.

"Very," agreed Giles. He then smiled at the young man and added, "But amusing."

"Yeah."

The door opened behind them then and they both turned towards Faith, who was wearing her usual leather pants and skin-hugging shirt underneath an overlarge leather jacket that hid the few bruises and scrapes still on her arms with one eye still covered by a patch of bandages. She then smiled at them and slung a small bag over her shoulder as she stepped forward, saying, "Let's go home."

"Sure you're ready?" asked Xander, cautiously resting a hand lightly on her shoulder.

"Yeah," she replied as she slowly reached up and squeezed his hand briefly. "I wanna go home, X."

"Then we shall go," intoned Giles, smiling at the pair of them. And as they began moving towards the elevator to take them down to the hospital exit, he watched them. Faith eventually pulled away from Xander's hand as they walked but he just smiled down at her and kept walking, not seeming bothered.

As he followed, he wondered if Xander knew some semblance of what she was feeling right now – the desperate need not to be touched. If he did…was it him that knew the feeling? Or was it Altaïr's memories?

* * *

**Author's Note:** For some reason I have a lot of fun writing Mary. Hopefully I'll get a chance later in the story to pull her back in. And, yes, the Council is covering the deaths of the Watcher's and the involvement of Xander and company.


End file.
